Getting To The Bottom of This
by Mandy Baggins
Summary: Tall Tales wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Sam's sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay with an old family friend and as Sam gets better, more questions surface than answers. What is her secret and why did she hide it for so long?
1. Chapter 1

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can soon be found on my homepage.

* * *

Chapter 1

Dean knew from the second Sam stepped into the Impala that he was ill. It was the little things that Sam tried to hide, like the way he clenched his jaw or constantly ran his hand through his hair- which just so happened to be his nervous tick. Sam was also frequently forming his hand into a fist and relaxing it over and over again, clenching his jaw in time to the movements. Something was wrong, but both brothers were too stubborn to speak up. Dean knew, or at least thought he knew, that if Sam was really sick he'd say something- it was an unspoken rule that you never hunted when you were sick, let alone jeopardized another hunter's life by hunting when sick. But Sam knew that he'd have to vomit up a liver in order for his brother to believe that he had a stomachache and actually listen to him.

Dean caught a muscle in Sam's jaw twitch and his left fist clench, along with his right foot dig into the floor mat simultaneously. Though he wasn't quite sure what he had witnessed, he was almost positive no good could come from it.

"Hey," Sam said slowly, trying not to allow his voice to crack.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could take a pit stop?" Dean sighed.

"Dude, I am not stopping every twenty minutes because you have probably the world's smallest bladder. Cross your legs and suck it up, we'll be across the border in less than an hour."

"An _hour_?"

"Yeah, an hour if we don't make any stops, which means no breaking of the seal Sasquatch."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. If their places were switches, which they only had been once in a blue moon, Sam would have acknowledged his brothers request.

No.

The word echoed over and over again in Sam's head.

No.

Hell, they'd passed up two gas stations in the past fifteen tense minutes and three restaurants. That was a total of five rest areas but _no_, they had to wait until they'd crossed the Illinois border, make it to the next town, and make it to the next job.

"Quit pouting about this bitch," Dean said catching his eye.

"Jerk." There was no humor in Sam's voice. They drove for another half hour in silence, the stereo blasting an old _Journey _tape over the grumbling gurgling of Sam's stomach. He finally broke the silence.

"Dean, could we _please_ stop somewhere?" It wasn't the pleading tone of his brother voice that caught him off guard; it was the use of the word _please. _Dean knew Sam was in over his head if he was using the word please and asking for help, so Dean swallowed thickly, trying to think of what to say.

"I've already told you-"

"But I really need to stop somewhere, anywhere." Sam winced as his stomach cramped yet again, and he clawed his fingers at his abdomen. "Dean?"

"Give me one good reason why I should," Dean muttered, purposely keeping his eyes on the road though he still witnessed his brother's actions from the corner of his eye.

"Because…"

"_Because I said so_ isn't a real answer Einstein." Sam bit back a growl. "Well? I haven't gotten all day for you to play twenty questions and come up with a good excuse for me to pull over so you can curl your eyelashes or something." Sam gave a frustrated sigh.

"It's my stomach, alright?" Dean smirked.

"Aww, has poor Sammy-Wammy got himself a tummy ache?"

"Dean," he said threateningly.

"Alright, alright! I don't want you going all Lynda Blair on me. We'll find some place to stop."

"Dean, it's not that."

"What then? Your time of the month and your all moody and crampy Samantha? Don't get any blood on these seats man, I swear to God I'll-"

"Dean! I'm not nauseated! I don't know what it is alright?!" Sam huffed and crossed his arms, turning to look at the miles upon miles of corn fields from the window. Dean gave him a concerned glance and tried not to roll his eyes at his brothers brooding shoulders.

"Sammy?" Dean cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, mentally preparing himself for the upcoming chick-flick moment. "I'm sorry, alright? I won't tease you anymore, but at least tell me what's up. I need you to explain things a bit more if you want me to help. What's that quote… _help me to help you_?"

"I don't know," Sam said quietly, still looking out the window. "I just… my stomach keeps… well, cramping. I just think its best we stop somewhere soon."

Dean nodded.

"Alright, we'll see what-" Dean paused as he read the upcoming welcome sign. "_Galesburg, Illinois _has to offer. Next gas station I see we'll stop."

"Okay."

Five minutes later the Impala made a left-hand turn into the first gas station they saw. As soon as the engine shut off, Sam had bolted out of his seat and into the thankfully unlocked facilities. It seemed to Dean that now was as good of a time as any to get supplies, seeing as they probably had a good three to four night deal on their hands. Dean reluctantly got up and out of the car, wincing as his back popped and neck stretched back into its normal position. Driving for three hours did major damage on his back, but he shook that off and pulled open the door to the store.

"Hey there," a brunette quipped, not looking up from her newspaper. Dean awkwardly looked around, quickly finding the medicine isle and pausing as he took in all the medications.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath.

Even for a small no name gas station, they still had at least fifteen to twenty different medicines for stomach complaints. And since Sam wasn't helping being vague with his symptoms, Dean was left alone in the dark to figure out what to get. Lingering his fingers over the multiple boxes of both liquids and pills, he paused then backtracked as he decided to trust the old faithful and reliable Pepto Bismul. Looking at the three different sizes (of course narrowing it down still didn't make his job any easier,) Dean decided to bite the bullet and buy the super-deluxe economy-size bottle. Cradling the pink medicine in his arms like an infant, he walked further down to stare at the first aid necessities.

Thermometer? No, theirs was still functioning, for it seemed no matter how many times Dean ripped it from his mouth and threw it against the motel wall it still took the correct temperature.

Rectal thermometer? Sammy would kill him for even suggesting it, let alone thinking about it.

Band-aids, antibiotic ointment? No.

Hot water bottle? Dean's eyes strayed across the red rubber bottle, eyebrows knit together. He couldn't remember the last time they had an actual hot water bottle, and Bobby's ice pack didn't count. The last time they'd McGyvere'd some shit together using a glass mason jar wrapped in a stolen hotel towel. He picked it up and was about to walk to the register when the coffee and tea isle caught his eye. Quickly taking in the rectangular boxes of tea, he gave a small smile as he stumbled across a blue box.

"Tummy Mint Wellness. Jackpot," he snickered as he grabbed all three boxes and briskly made his way over to the counter. Stopping at the cooler, he grabbed a few bottles of Gatorade and some bottles of water, juggling the items in his already full arms. The girl smiled as she rang up his items.

"You ill or is that for your co-pilot over there?" Dean glanced over his shoulder to see that Sam was now sitting in the Impala, fidgeting nervously.

"Oh, for him. I can only hope he didn't destroy your bathroom," Dean joked, causing her to give a small chuckle.

"Are you just passing through?" She questioned as she placed his items in a brown paper bag.

"I wish, but it looks like we'll be spending a few nights until he's feelin' better."

"Well I hope he feels better," she said as Dean handed her his credit card for payment. As he signed the receipt, he gave a quick smile and turned to leave.

"Hey, um… Where's a good place to spend a few nights?" She eyed him up and down.

"There's a particularly _fabulous_ B and B down North Cherry Street if you're willing to pay; The Seacord Bed and Breakfast if I'm not mistaken."

"Fab- he's my brother," Dean said with a gesture to Sam.

"Oh! Sorry!" She gave him a now seductive smile. "Well, all up and down Main Street is Hotels and Motels. If you keep going straight, past Grand Avenue and Seminary Street, you'll pass up the hospital and Central Park. That's when you'll start to see a lot more Hotels."

"What were those streets again?" The girl fumbled for a pen and then reached out for Dean's hand.

"You're on Main Street now. You're gonna pass up Grand, Seminary, the hospital and the park. You can't miss them," she gently wrote down the instructions on his palm. "But, if for _any_ reason you get lost you can give me a call. I'm Sandy." Dean looked at his palm to see she'd written her phone number.

"Well thanks Sandy," Dean said and left the store. "Still got it even when buyin' meds for Sammy boy," he muttered as he heard his phone ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at it and decided to answer as he sat down in the Impala.

"Hello?" Dean asked as he chucked the brown paper bag in the back seat.

"Dean, its Bobby. Where ya at?"

"Were just about to check into a motel off I-34 in Galesburg, Illinois. We're checking out a poltergeist at the Hill's Correctional Center."

"Where?"

"Galesburg and Monmouth- where Carl Sandburg was born?" Dean could tell Bobby still had no clue, so he quickly snapped at Sam for him to get out their map. Sam slowly unfolded a wrinkled map from the glove compartment and pointed out where they were. "West of Peoria?"

"Oh. I got it."

"You know there's a Winchester, Illinois?" Dean asked incredulously as his fingered their route on the map now placed on his lap.

"Does it matter? There's probably half a dozen or more streets named Winchester too- we've got bigger fish to fry though."

"What do you mean?" Sam glanced over at Dean questioningly.

"Ellen's been callin' around- askin' if anyone's seen Jo recently."

"What? Why?"

"Left a few weeks ago huntin' and no one's heard from her. Listen boy, you haven't seen her have you?"

"No- why would we?" Again, Sam looked at his brother.

"Because y'all are known to keep secrets from everyone- including yourselves."

"Well we haven't. I'll give you a call if we do, and that's a big-ass if." Dean grudgingly hung up the phone, throwing it down on the seat as he slammed the door shut. Starting the engine, neither brother said anything as they merged onto the street and drove for a few minutes. Dean decided to initiate conversation, Sam completely ignoring who called or why.

"So, let's see what we got here Sammy." Sam looked up studying the zipper on his hoodie. "We have our choice of seedy motel a, which has a flickering _M_ and a burnt out _O_, or seedy motel b, which has a burnt out _OT. _Your choice." Dean said all this in an overly-peppy game show host voice, gesturing to each motel.

"I don't care," Sam spat out through gritted teeth, one arm now pressed against his cramping stomach. "We just need to stop somewhere soon- that last trip to the can wasn't the most _productive_ trip."

"Well if we're lucky we'll pass up a Sybaris," Dean suggested half-heartedly, smiling at his own joke. Sam made no comment except for a low grunt which he swallowed quickly.

"Watch the road, will you? Would it kill you _not_ to hit every pot hole on the road?"

"Sorry."

"Well sometimes sorry isn't good enough Dean!" Sam immediately regretted his words, but it was too late to take back his statement with its biting tone. "Dean-"

"There's a bunch of motel coming up that's don't look half bad. When you were _using_-" Dean cleared his throat, causing Sam to shoot him a glare. "-the bathroom I asked someone where to stay. I also got supplies." Sam glanced over to look on the back seat at the brown paper sack.

"Can I?"

"Nothing's stopping you." Upon Dean's approval Sam reached over and placed the bag on his lap, gingerly opening the top. He gave a small smile.

"Dude, you had no clue what to get."

"None what-so-ever." Both brothers smiled in unison. "And I wasn't asking for help."

"Well you did pretty good for not knowing what to get," Sam said as he pulled out each item, examining it thoroughly. "Dude, this bottle of Pepto will last us the rest of our lives."

"Naw, just a month," Dean joked. "You know how you get around Mexican food." Sam tried to hide his embarrassment by reading one of the boxes of tea.

"What made you pick this up," he questioned as he pulled three boxes out. "And what made you decide to clean them out?"

"The kid on the box reminded me of you."

"Aw, well I don't have a rich mother sitting across from me at the table while Granny gives me tea," Sam pointed out, ruining the chick-flick moment.

"Didn't think she was your Mom _tiger_," Dean said as they made a left-hand turn and he raised his eyebrows at him. "Maybe you're a cougar hunter."

"That's gross Dean." Sam suddenly swallowed thickly, eyes and forehead crinkling in concern.

"Whoa man, what's up?"

"How much further?" Dean looked at his right hand.

"According to Sandy, just a few more blocks. We're on the main strip, we just need to find the motels."

"_Sandy?_"

"Yep, works at that gas station. Gave me her number, just in case we got lost." Dean laughed. "She thought we were _together_ together."

"That's because you over-compensate for my girly red-headedness," Sam muttered.

"Are you gonna be okay _Samantha_?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Sam drummed his fingers against the window, not even noticing his brother's new nickname for him. "But I'd boil some water for that tea."


	2. Chapter 2

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage.

Chapter 2

Sam turned the shower water to its hottest setting, allowing the rhythmic pulsing of scalding water to run down his chest and abdomen. Closing his eyes, the hot water slowly relaxed his tense, cramping muscles and gave him a few moments relief. Outside the bathroom however, wasn't nearly as peaceful.

"What do you mean Sam's sick?" The voice on the other end questioned.

"I mean just that. It's probably just a stomach bug, that's all. He's got himself a tummy ache and is taking it easy for a while." Dean paused, looking over his shoulder to see if Sam was near. "We've rented a room for a few days and as soon as Sam's done PMSing we'll be back on the road."

"No way."

"What?"

"You're not playing doctor to Sam in some filthy motel room. Pack up your gear and get to _The Roadhouse_."

"Ellen, we've already paid. Besides, Sammy's really not up for another road trip- he bitched me out for hitting a few potholes, I'm not driving with him until he's completely better."

"Dean, you need to get him over here now."

"And I already said-"

"If you two aren't here by nightfall I'll give a call to Bobby to come and handle this, and believe me, y'all are lucky you're closer to me than him." Ellen threatened. Dean visibly stiffened.

"Ellen, you leave Bobby out of this! You called me!"

"And I'll see you tonight Dean Winchester or else,"she hung up the phone before Dean could.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered as he slammed the phone on the table. Sam walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and looked over at his brother questioningly as he caught him still muttering to himself.

"What's all this about? What'd I miss?" He asked as he sat down on the edge of his bed, adjusting the collar of his shirt and double checking he'd buttoned it properly.

"Ellen called."

"Oh." Sam knew that whatever she said, she meant it. "So what'd she want?"

"Just checkin' in, see if we'd heard from Jo. Seems she left a while ago to start hunting and crap on her own and hasn't had contact with anyone for a while."

"Figures, once you get a taste," Sam said as he pushed himself all the way up the bed and lay down. Arms under his still wet-head, folded, he spoke. "Is that all she wanted?"

"Well it was…"

"_Was_?"

"I kinda let it slip that you were ill- she questioned why we weren't on a hunt and cornered me!"

"Dean!"

"That's not all. She uh, wants us to come over to_ The_ _Roadhouse_."

"Why?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Hell if I know. Probably misses Jo and figures now is as good of a time as any to play mother hen." Dean walked across the room and started haphazardly shoving items into his olive duffel bag.

"Well we don't plan on going there, do we?" Dean didn't respond. "Dean?"

"She said if we weren't there by nightfall she'd call Bobby."

"_Bobby!_"Sam shot up. "She can't, she wouldn't! Would she?"

"She's crazy enough to do it Sammy, you know that. And were only a few hours outside of Nebraska, we can go and just-"

"Just what? I don't need anyone to take care of me Dean, I'm not five!"

"I'll try to keep her out of your hair, but I can't make any promises." Dean peered over his shoulder. "Sam, I don't want to get on her bad side-"

"_On her bad side?_ Dean, come on!"

"Just pack your crap and be ready to leave in twenty. We'll have to fill up the Impala before we hit the road and I'm gonna have to pull out all the stops with the receptionist to try and get our money back."

"Dean…"

"We don't have a choice anymore Sam. If she call's Bobby he'll be down here faster than you can blink shoving some Japanese potion down your throat and do whatever he wants. It's better to just pretend to go along with whatever she has planned."

"We're eleven hours from Nebraska Dean!"

* * *

"How do you do it?" Sam asked during the silence of Dean turning over the old _Led Zeppelin _tape and popping it back into the tape player.

"Stay this sexy? I'd have to say it's good genes, and good _jeans_," he said as Sam rolled his eyes.

"I _mean_ how do you drive the Impala for so long?"

"Huh?"

"We're almost to _The Roadhouse_ and that's eleven hours from where we were, and you've been driving the entire time-"

"I wouldn't want you drivin' my baby in that state," Dean said with an off-hand gesture to his brother. "If you happened to ralph on the dashboard I don't know if I could get it out. I mean, the smell alone might kill me."

"Are you done?"

"Hardly, but please- humor me and continue," he said with a charming smile shot at Sam.

"I never wanted to complain-"

"But you always manage to," Dean muttered under his breath.

"-_But_ I can barley drive for five hours without my back killing me!" Dean laughed. "I'm struggling to keep my eyes open even when I'm caffeinated and _Journey_ is blasting through the speakers."

"You'll get used to it." Dean said with an air of confidence and cockiness, gently patting his brother's thigh.

"I'm being serious here Dean!" Sam pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperated anger. "And do you… I mean, have you ever…"

"I'm not playing _have you ever _when there's nothin' to drink," Dean joked as he cast a sideways glance at Sam.

"Have you ever noticed…"

"Noticed what Sammy?" Sam fidgeted nervously in his seat.

"Have you ever noticed that being on the road so much tended to back things up a little?" Sam said quickly in one breath. Dean barely had time to register this as his eyes strayed to the nearest interstate sign.

"Huh?"

"Have-"

"Take a breath before you ramble a mile-a-minute again Sammy! I can't understand a word you're saying if you spit it out like that!"

"Never mind. Just forget it."

Fifteen minutes later they had pulled the Impala in front of _The Roadhouse_ and shut the engine off. Dean was out of the car first, keying open the trunk and grabbing their bags before Sam could even stretch his legs on the gravel. Slamming the trunk shut he glanced at Sam before walking to the entrance.

"Hurry up Sammy, if we're lucky we'll get some grub before we run into _Florence Nightingale._"

"Yeah yeah," Sam grumbled as he stumbled out of the car, leaning against the door as his world spun. Dean was already inside. "Nice of you to help," he muttered as he tried to clear his head and walk inside.

It was surprisingly quiet for a little after five on a Friday night. Dean was already at the bar, clearly sweet-talking their new waitress as she poured him a beer from tap.

"-it was just your usual haunted campus, alien abduction, alligator in the sewer gig."

"Uh-huh," the brunette said absently as she slid Dean his beer and walked to the other side of the bar to help another customer. Sam grinned as Dean tried to brush the rejection off.

"Yep, Route 66." Ellen held the phone up to her ear with her shoulder, eyes quickly surveying around the room. As she caught view of Sam and Dean, she gave a small grin and interrupted who she was on the phone with. "Olivia, I gotta go. The Winchesters are here. Uh-huh, I'll call ya later."

Hanging up the phone she brushed her hands on her apron and walked over to them, motioning Sam closer to her.

"Sugar, you look like death! All pale and thin," she said, cupping Sam's face in her hands. Dean snorted into his beer. "How are ya holdin' up Sam? Do ya need anything?"

"I'm fine Ellen," Sam said with a lowered voice as he felt eyes staring at him. "I would just, I'd appreciate…"

"What honey?"

"If I could just lay down somewhere?" Sam blushed at his admittance.

"Oh course dear!" Emerging from behind the counter she motioned for him to follow and led him down the hall. Rolling his eyes, Dean downed the last of his beer and swung the duffel's over his shoulder and followed them. Past the swinging door that was the saloon's kitchen and further down the hall they encountered another door. Fishing a key chain out of her pocket, Ellen unlocked the door and ushered them into her living room, which was just off her personal kitchen, behind the saloon.

"Wow," Dean said as he quickly took in their surroundings. "Not bad."

"It's not much, three rooms, two bathrooms, the usual. Since Jo isn't here y'all can either share a bed or fight over the pull out sofa." Sam and Dean exchanged a heated glance before speaking.

"Rock, Paper Scissors-" Sam started, but was cut off by Dean.

"I'll take the sofa. _Samantha_ can have the bed." Sam forced himself not to roll his eyes, instead taking the higher road and giving his brother a forced smile. Dean clenched his fists, anger swelling as his brother didn't take the usual bait.

"Great. Let me show ya where ya can dump your stuff and then Sam can lay down." It turned out the kitchen, living room, Ash's room and a bathroom were on the ground floor, while past a small staircase were two more bedrooms and another bathroom. Opening the first door, both brothers prepared themselves for a Jo's gaudy pink, girly room. Instead they were faced with sage green walls and matching curtains with the only pink being a small amount on the rug by the foot of the bed. As Dean tossed the duffel bags on the floor by the dresser, Sam sat down on the bed and toed off his shoes.

"We'll just let you be for a while," Dean said as he put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "We'll be around."

"Alright."

"If you need anything just let me know. I'll be in the saloon, okay?" Ellen seemed eager to help, despite Sam's embarrassment.

"Thank's again Ellen, you didn't have to do this."

"Of course I did."

"I'm gonna grab a bite to eat, you want anything?" Sam grimaced and shook his head. "Alright alright, we're getting out."

The door shut quietly behind them and Sam finally sighed, relaxing down onto the bed and shutting his eyes. It had been a long day, and it was just going to get worse before better. That's the way it always was with the Winchesters, and Sam could never expect to get off easy with anything, especially an illness.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. Special thanks goes out to all my reviewers, especially _Swenglish_ who I can't reply to!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Sam! You're pushing a half-hour here!" Dean yelled as he pounded on the wooden door. It had been less than twenty-four hours and already the fighting had begun.

"And?"

"And I know you heard me talking to Ellen about getting ready to take a shower!"

"Why can't you just use the downstairs bathroom and leave me alone?"

"That bathroom doesn't have a shower, only a tub. And I'm not taking a _bath_ dude," Dean said shuddering.

"FINE!" A few seconds later a clearly disgruntled Sam opened the door and pushed past Dean. "You are so full of-"

"_Shit_? I could say the same about you bitch."

"Jerk!" Sam rounded on Dean, pinning him against the wall and knocking his towel and change of clothes to the floor.

"Bite me Princess!"

"Hey! Hey! Sam off Dean now!" Ellen ran up the stairs as Sam backed away. "Dean, you should know better than to pester your brother when he's ill!"

"_What_?" Rolling her eyes at Dean, she turned to Sam and cupped his chin.

"Sam, I know that stomach of yours must be cramping something awful. Why don't you go downstairs and I'll bring you some tea and a hot water bottle eh?" Sam nodded. "I'll meet you down in a few." Sam pulled away, and with one last look at Dean, stuck his tongue out and bolted down the stairs.

"Hey, Sam just-"

"You should be ashamed of yourself Dean Winchester," Ellen scolded, slapping him hard on the side of the head.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right for pestering the poor boy when he's already ill."

"He's not ill-" Dean started as he began picking up his scattered clothing.

"And for your information Dean, _I_ sent him up here to try and move things along. And no, I didn't see the issue with you using one of the _multiple_ other bathrooms to bathe, all I knew was that I had just calmed Sam down enough that I figured he'd have a fightin' chance- but you certainly shot that idea in the foot."

"I didn't know-"

"That you were stressin' him out? Well duh."

"But-"

"And your teasin' him does nothing but embarrass him and aggravate the situation more!"

"_Aggravate_?"

"Why don't you go downstairs and find your brother, huh?" Ellen put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe after you _see _how much pain he's in you'll stop pickin' on him." She quickly pushed Dean into the unoccupied bathroom and shut the door behind him, leaving him to think about his actions.

After taking a quick shower, Dean found Sam curled in an arm chair by the fireplace reading a thick book. Truth was, he couldn't keep the words from blurring into one grey blob, but he shoved that aside and continued to try reading. Buried under a warm knit quilt with his legs folded against both a hot water bottle and his aching stomach, Dean cleared his throat to get Sam's attention.

Sam made no movement.

"Sammy?"

"What?" He said dryly as he licked his finger and turned the dusty yellowing page.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"Sammy, how long has it been?" Sam paused his reading to look up at Dean. "Sam?"

"Too long."

"Really? I was gonna ask you since you got laid dude-" Scowling, Sam focused back on the book. "Oh come on man, you set me up for that!"

"I hate you."

"No you don't. That's just your bellyache talking."

"No, I really hate you. You really know how to kick a man when he's down. You suck." The venom in his voice caused Dean to raise his arms in defeat and walk away, unsure of how to fix this. For a brief moment in time, it seemed like Dean was going to leave his brother alone, but Dean suddenly turned on his heel and opened his mouth. He just couldn't leave well enough alone.

* * *

Ellen paced in the kitchen, making sure neither brother could hear her conversation on the phone, trying to also ignore the fight that was going on in the living room. She was half-heartedly expecting to hear something break as Dean hollered at Sam, and was quickly rewarded with the clear sound of paper being ripped. As Sam yelled that the book Dean had just ripped in half was Bobby's (causing Dean to rip it yet again,) Bobby himself spoke on the other telephone line.

"Ellen, you know just as well as I do how Sam is when he's ill."

"Yeah, but this isn't just a sick Sam we're dealing with Bobby. Dean is driving me crazy just being here!" Bobby laughed. "They've been here a day and already I want to kill 'em."

"Both or just Dean?"

"Mostly just Dean."

"That's what I thought. Maybe you should…"

"I should what? If you say to give her a call-" Bobby cut her off.

"When was the last time she talked to you?"

"A few weeks, she hasn't contacted me for our midnight trip to the aquarium yet."

"Maybe you should give her a ring; you know she'll be able to help Sam out and shut Dean up."

"But is it really a good idea involving her with _them_ again?" Bobby sighed.

"Some things can't be helped, and she's probably in contact with them anyway. You know how close she was to Sam."

This time Ellen sighed.

"Alright, we'll call her. But if anything happens-" Ellen started.

"Ellen, what do you really think could happen here? If it makes you feel better have Dean call her."

"I can do that. Thanks Bobby."

"Don't mention it."

Ellen hung up her phone before she could change her mind and walked into the living room to confront Dean. Thankfully the fight had boiled down, though she had the sneaking suspicion that Sam had stormed to the room and slammed the door. It would be easy to get Dean to call her, but getting Sam to see her might be a different issue, especially with the way they were at each other's throats recently.

"Dean Winchester! What is wrong with your brother?" Ellen demanded as Dean relaxed on the worn couch in the living room, an open beer in hand.

"What, besides the fact that his train hasn't left the station?"

"Aw, how adorable." She hit the side of his head. "You know what I mean!"

"Hey! Sam hasn't told _anyone anything_ Ellen! Come on!" Dean rubbed the side of his head furiously. "That's why he got away with all of this for so long; we were just finishing up a job with a Trickster, we had our heads so far up our asses we had no clue what we were dealing with and had to call Bobby."

"And?"

"_And_ we were both mean and snapping at each other to begin with, so I guess it just carried over into the next few days." He took a swig of the beer before continuing. "I noticed the next day after finishing up with the Trickster that Sam was still snapping at me for stupid shit and he was chewing gum."

"Sam doesn't chew gum."

"I know."

"You know, Sam is usually much more…" Ellen paused as she thought of the right word to describe Sam's behavior.

"Girly? Touchy-feely?"

"Needy would be the word I'm looking for but thanks anyway for the help." Dean smiled at her.

"Don't mention it."

"Last time he was ill here he wouldn't let me put him down."

"He was also two." Ellen rolled her eyes and resisted slapping his head again.

"If he's found some new coping mechanisms, who knows what else he's hiding from us…"

"And how long," Dean thoughtfully took another long drink of his beer. "Isn't mint um… anti-nausea?"

"That's ginger dumbass," Sam muttered from the kitchen doorway, a glass of water in his trembling hands and a blanket tucked around his shoulders like a cape.

"Sam! You can't be storming around the house like that! I could hear you from the saloon!" Ellen scolded, walking up to him. Sam took a step back into the kitchen. "I thought you were relaxing in the living room, not fighting with your brother!"

"Why are _you_ talking about me behind my back?" He said in a deadly whisper, quickly turning the tables.

"Sammy-"

"I never asked for your help Dean! I never asked to sit here while you two _baby_ me constantly since you apparently have nothing better to do!" Sam stormed off, a blur of plaid rushing through the kitchen and up the staircase, slamming the upstairs bedroom door.

"Ellen, we need to do somethin' about this. I can't take any more of this irritable bitchy crap from Sam." Dean tried in vain not to slam down his now empty beer bottle onto the coffee table in front of him.

"We need to call Mandy, I know." She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was really hopin' it wouldn't come to this."

"Wait a second; do you really think we need to involve _her_ in this? Can't we just give Bobby a ring?"

"And what's he gonna do? Tell you to do a drug store run and take it easy for a few days until nature runs its course? We've tried that sugar, it's not working."

"But do-"

"If you don't I will." Ellen pulled out her cell phone and tossed it down next to him. "She's under the contacts if you don't have her new number Dean."

"Ellen," Dean muttered as he picked it up, scrolling his way through the contacts until he hit _M_. "I don't know about this, I mean we haven't had contact with her in forever. I don't even know if she's still living in Nebraska anymore!"

"Give me that you pansy." Grabbing the phone from him, she quickly hit _call_ and took a few steps back from the couch. Dean crossed his arms, brooding as Ellen talked for a few minutes until she casually tossed him the phone. "It's all you sugar."

"Mandy?"

"Dean, are you gonna be able to drag that brother of yours in here or am I gonna have to make a house call? Because lord knows I already charge double for dealin' with the Winchesters!" Her slight southern drawl and hint of sarcasm instantly calmed him. Dean gave a small laugh.

"I'm sure I can get Sasquatch in there whenever you can fit him in."

"I can squeeze him in tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, is that okay?"

"That's perfect; we don't want to cause any trouble. Where are you located now a day's anyway?"

"The pediatric office off Main and Highland. Ellen can give you directions if-"

"The pediatric office?" Dean wanted to press the issue further but paused as he saw Ellen waiving her arms in a signal to stop.

"Yeah, it's a long complicated story_."_ Mandy tried not to sigh. "But we can play catch-up later. Just try to get your brother in here by one, okay?"

"Alright, look forward to seeing you."

"Right back 'atcha." Both hung up the phone simultaneously and Dean quickly threw the phone back to Ellen.

"That wasn't so hard was it?"

"You have no idea."


	4. Chapter 4

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. Special thanks goes out to all my reviewers, especially Lisa, who asked ever so nicely for an update.

* * *

Chapter 4

"Dude, what are we doing here?" Sam questioned with one eyebrow arched as Dean held the office door open for him. Bright lights, absurdly small tables and chairs, coloring books and toys caught his attention along with the large picture of a clown painted onto the wall. Sam's breath caught.

"Hard to miss, eh Sammy?" Dean muttered with a chuckle as he pushed past his brother to the reception desk. Realizing that Sam was not on his heel as usual, he looked over his shoulder to see Sam still standing in the doorway, one hand on his stomach and his eyes darting about nervously.

"Dean-"

"Come on Sam, it's just a picture." Sam quickly caught up with him and pulled him aside.

"It's not that and you know it." He lowered his voice. "Why couldn't we just handle this the way we normally do?"

"Did you just use the word _normally _in a sentence involving us?"

"You know what I mean!"

"Okay, listen Sammy." Dean gave a small sigh. "We can't go to the E.R because were being watched, ever since Baltimore where they caught up with all our fake names and crap, it's been hard alright? When you broke your wrist in Lawrence I had to sweet talk the nurse into putting a cast on you."

"Really?" Sam looked almost ashamed.

"Yeah, happy now? It's not like were rolling in the money or anything to begin with. We just need to watch our ex… ex…" Dean paused, thinking of the word he wanted to use.

"Expenditures?"

"That's the word!" Dean gave him a goofy smile and patted his shoulder.

"Dean, come on now." Dean dropped his hand to his side. "Why waste the money on a doctor now when we've just gotta let nature run its course?"

"Because a, that's a load of bull and you know it. We've tried that; it hasn't worked. And b," he said the second part with a wicked grin on his face. "We're not."

Dean pulled the flabbergasted Sam over to the receptionist who, besides tapping a pencil against the desk, looked utterly bored and weary. Upon seeing the large shadows of Sam and Dean slink across her computer screen, she quickly looked up and gave them both a once over.

"Little old to be in a pediatrician's office huh?"

"Actually you'll find Sam Winston to be eighteen and his file right under the new patients files." A young woman with long blond hair and brown eyes spoke from the left side of the other woman.

"But-"

"It's an overactive thyroid Paula, very common."

"Yes, just as it says on your file." Paula cleared her throat as she quickly typed a few things into the computer. "But his paperwork-"

"Special instructions from the doctor to have that taken care of later. It's sort of an emergency visit." She gave them both a comforting smile. "Come on in."

Dean quickly turned the doorknob to a white door attached to the wall next to the desk and was greeted with the glorious sight of the nurse. Very voluptuous and wearing nurses scrubs that seemed to hug her every curve, Dean did all he could not to drool at the sight of her.

"Dude," he elbowed Sam. "I'd give my left-"

"I'm sorry about the confusion Mr. Winston. We've just re-located and everything's still kind of up in the air, so to say."

"It's okay, I guess."

"I'm Nurse Audrey, Dr. A's assistant." Audrey held out her hand to gently shake Sam's.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, _Nurse Audrey_." Dean said seductively, prying her hand away from his brothers in order to grasp it with both hands. "I'm Dean, Sammy's older brother."

"Oh I know, I've been fully informed by the doctor on what to expect from you two." Dean glanced over at Dam, mouthing the words _fully informed? _with a frown and let go of her hand. Picking up Sam's file, Audrey opened to the first page, tisking.

"What?"

"Lots of blanks, that's all. Looks like we'll need to give you a proper physical before you get to see the doctor."

"Physical?"

"Just the normal height-weight junk that's all. No biggie." Sam sighed, looking over to Dean who shrugged. "It'll only take a few minutes, now come on. Let's hop onto the scale to get your height and weight. Shoes off."

Dean tried not to snicker.

"I have special instructions from the doctor not to complete the lower abdominal part of the physical due to the fact that you've been complaining of lower abdominal pain. But you've got no fever or anything else, which is a good thing," Audrey said as she finished peering into his ears, scribbling a few notes down on his file. She looked up at him.

"Though you do seem to have some abdominal distention from glancing at your stomach, but nothing else seems to be bothering you, which again is good. The doctor should be in shortly to see you and I'll be back to accompany her alright? Just relax and everything will be fine Sam." Sam nodded, trying in vain to adjust the flimsy blue gown he had on. Sitting on the examination table, his sock-clad feet almost touched the floor and as he shifted his weight the white paper crinkled ominously beneath him. Audrey briefly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You are acting more nervous than the five-year-olds who have to get immunization shots. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I really don't like hospitals, or doctors," Sam muttered.

"We'll Dr. A is the best, no questions there. You'll be fine, trust me."

"Oh we do," Dean said smugly, causing Audrey to give him a half-hearted smile and exit the room.

"Will you shut up already?" Sam said irritably, turning to Dean. "This is uncomfortable enough already without you hitting on the nurse."

"I'm only having some fun Sammy, relax!"

"You try relaxing _Dean_ while admitting to a complete stranger and that _jailbait_-"

"No way Audrey is jailbait, probably not old enough to drink but still…"

"- that your older brother is hitting on that you're…" Sam's voice trailed off as the paper crinkled yet again.

"That your train hasn't left the station?"

"Dean!"

"You keep giving me these golden opportunities to pick on you Sammy boy!" Dean said with a laugh.

"Dean, please." There was a quick knock on the door and it briskly opened, revealing a tall brunette with a white lab coat, clutching Sam's file in her hands.

"Well hey there Sammy!" She greeted him as she walked over to the sink to wash her hands. "Long time no see, eh? Now I hear you're having some tummy issues eh?"

"Manda- I mean Mandy? Miranda?" Sam sputtered as Dean burst out laughing.

"In the flesh," she said as she pulled a towel from the canister and dried her hands. "Let me guess, no one told you that I was in the area, huh babes?" Noticing that Audrey had not followed behind her, Sam quickly stood up and pulled the women into a hug, taking in her slightly salty smell and allowing it to wash over him.

"Aunt Mandy, I can't believe it's you."

"You've gotten taller," Mandy said as she held him at arm's length, looking him in the eyes. "But first things first, let's take a look here and see what were dealing with. Shrug yourself out of that thing will ya?" Red blazed across Sam's cheeks as he removed the thin blue gown and sat back down only in boxers and socks.

"Lay down," she whispered, gently fingering his bangs. "I'm going to apply some- oh babes, you're really bloated now huh?"

Yet again Dean snickered, just as there was another knock on the door.

"Come in." Audrey reemerged, giving a smile to Sam as she caught him stretched out on the table.

"Wow, you can really see that abdominal distention from this angle," she muttered as she picked up his file. "I've already made a note of that on his chart though Dr. A," she said as she opened it up, pen ready to scribble any notes.

"Excellent observation Audrey. Now Sam, I'm going to apply a light pressure on your lower abdomen to feel the organs and see if anything seems out of place. If you feel any pain at all just let me know, okay?" Sam nodded as Mandy started in the upper right corner, massaging gently across and down to the left side. When she hit the lower left corner, Sam hissed in pain, causing Dean to shift nervously and Audrey to start scribbling.

"Lower left quadrant?"

"Yep, defiantly not McBurney's point. Now Sam, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain ever, how do you feel now?"

"Five, four maybe. It's dying down, but when you pushed down that was a seven."

"Okay, and how else are you feeling?" Mandy sat down on a stool and crossed her legs.

"Tired."

"Cranky, bitchy." Dean suggested, causing Sam to try and sit up, but instead he took a quick intake of breath and lay back down.

"Irritable?" Audrey offered.

"I liked bitchy better…" Dean muttered, making Sam roll his eyes at his brother.

"Do you feel lethargic? Kind of a sick-all-over feeling?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"An almost too full feeling or heaviness?" Audrey asked, still writing away.

"I guess…" Both doctor and nurse looked at each other.

"Sam," Audrey started.

"When was the last time ya used the toilet dear?" The look of sheer terror and a gob smacked vulnerability crossed Sam's face as he finally sat up and Dean sniggered.

"_What?"_

"When was the last time you moved your bowels Sam?" Audrey stated clearly this time; causing Sam turned crimson and began to stutter.

"Well, I… um… I think…"

"It's been a while," Dean muttered with a gesture towards his brother.

"Dean!"

"Hey, I spend twenty-four-seven with you- I'd like to _think_ I know you well enough to notice when you're not hoggin' the bathroom like you usually do."

"Dean I-"

"How many day's has it been Sam?" He sighed at Mandy's question, still clearly upset at Dean.

"Sam's usually a once-a-day type of guy," Dean said nonchalantly to Mandy as the outraged Sam sat dumbfounded on the examination table. "Recently, not so much-"

"Hey! Dean's not even every_ other_ day," Sam said accusingly. "If anything it's once every three days!" Smugly, Sam crossed his arms in satisfaction.

"Sam can't eat Mexican without getting toxic-" Dean blurted out. "He's the reason Dad bought a gas mask."

"Dean hasn't picked up something healthy since he asked for extra onions on his bacon cheeseburgers!" Sam retorted back.

"Sammy's _delicate digestive system_-"

"Enough you two!" Mandy yelled, slamming her fist down on the counter, causing Dean and Sam to both promptly shut their mouths. Audrey stifled a laugh as Mandy took a deep breath before calmly speaking again. "Just answer the question Sam, how long has it been?"

"Um… like four or five days? I really don't keep track," Sam whispered.

"Alright," Mandy started, but she was interrupted by Dean.

"Dr. Anderson?" Dean questioned, gesturing with his eyes over to Audrey, who was still taking notes. She nodded.

"Audrey dear, would you mind getting the Addar twins situated? I've got this under control, just a little garden variety constipation."

"Oh, of course." Audrey gave a smile to Sam and Dean, placing Sam's file down on the table and leaving.

"I thought she'd never leave," Sam said as the door clicked closed. "I want to crawl in a hole a die Mandy." He muttered.

"Oh Sammy, this is nothing to be embarrassed about. We'll get this taken care of in a jiff. Come here though Dean, you've been waitin' for a hug since the moment I walked in that door, I can tell."

Dean immediately rose to give the woman a hug, lingering as she gently rubbed his back. When she pulled away he gave a disappointed sigh and sat back down.

"It's been too long boys, and I hate to have to see ya like this," Mandy said as she glanced over Sam's chart. "What have you done, if anything, to treat this love?"

"Sam didn't say anything until the day before yesterday," Dean started, noticing how Sam was hesitant to say anything before. "He just complained of a stomachache earlier, but Ellen dug up some Metamucil yesterday."

"And it hasn't helped yet?"

"No," Sam said as he fidgeted with the edge of the white paper lining the examination table. "What would you suggest?"

"Well, I would suggest, besides the dietary and lifestyle changes," Dean groaned at this. "You need to rest, relax and probably go with a stool softener."

"Fabulous," Dean said as he stood up, throwing Sam's clothes at him. "You wanna write us a prescription for that and we'll get outta your hair?"

"Dean, I'm not going to be able to relax at _The Roadhouse_ if you're constantly pounding on the bathroom door for me to hurry up!"

"Alright, I'll take one for the team and bath in the other bathroom okay? _Happy_?"

"Not really," Sam muttered as he leapt off the table and pulled his jeans on. "You need to get off my back; stop harassing me about everything I do! It's not funny!"

"Boys?" Mandy interrupted, only to be ignored.

"You're just irritable because you have a tummy ache," Dean reasoned.

"No, I'm fed up. I put up with a lot from you, and I just want you to lay off for a while. I know you're going to get bored from being cooped up in one place for a few days because we are _not_ going out on a hunt, but please." Sam pulled his shirt over his head. "Just chill for a few days, okay?"

"Fine, I'll lay off the teasing until you _get back to normal_." He snickered. "Last joke, I swear."

"Boys, why don't you spend that time over at my place? That way I can monitor things instead of Ellen, since I'm sure y'all are already drivin' her up the walls with your bickering."

"We're not bickering," Sam said as he tied his shoes.

"Whatever ya wanna call it. Besides, if it's been this long a stool softener might not do the trick, and it'd be better to have me there than Ellen or Bobby. They might send yer ass to the hospital." Both boys exchanged a glance.

"It'll be fine-" Dean started.

"Ya each can have your own room."

"What time's dinner?" Dean said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. Special thanks goes out to all my reviewers, especially Lisa, who asked ever so nicely for an update.

* * *

Chapter 5

_Bobby cradled a sobbing Sam in his arms, trying to calm the three-year-old down. Face covered in an itchy red rash and pink calamine lotion, he clung to Bobby's neck, clawing at his shoulders._

"_Calm down Sammy, it's okay," Bobby soothed, rubbing his back gently._

"_Itches!" He cried, tears streaming down his face as he hiccoughed._

"_I know tiger, I know it itches." Bobby looked over his shoulder to see Dean sitting patiently at the kitchen table, glancing to the front door and then to the clock every few moments. "Dean, when did you-"_

"_About an hour ago Uncle Bobby. She said she wasn't that far away but she'd have to pick up supplies for Sammy." Dean looked at the clock again. "Aunty Mandy should be here soon, right?"_

"_Any minute now Dino," Bobby paced the kitchen while Sam continued to sob. "Mandy'll be here soon kiddo."_

_Hearing a car pull into the gravel dirt road of the Singer Salvage Yard, Dean's eyes lit up as he jumped from his chair and ran to the front door._

"_She's here!" His voice echoed as he raced to meet her at the door. Bobby followed, a bit slower, behind him. Bobby, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard the engine cut and a car door close, watched Dean unlocked the front door and launched himself off the front porch and into Miranda's awaiting arms._

"_Dino! Happy to see me, eh?" Mandy said as she covered his face in kisses. "Let's go take care of your brother huh?"_

"Dean, are you sure we should do this?" Sam asked as Dean pulled into Mandy's driveway, shutting off the engine.

"Do what? Take the woman who was practically an aunt to us up on her offer of free room and board?"

"We were already situated at Ellen's-"

"And we were fighting over the sofa and the bed in Jo's room. Mandy offered us _each_ a room, not a bed like the crummy motel rooms we get, but a room." Dean rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I haven't had my own room in forever, since the last time we were at Pastor Jim's as kids."

"Aunt Mandy always gave us each a room; she said it was because she knew we didn't get that luxury anywhere else and wanted our time spend with her to be special."

"Really? That's what she said?" Sam nodded.

"I mean, think about it Dean. She doesn't have any other family besides us, so she doesn't need the extra room. I'm surprised she still has a place with enough room, seeing how she moves around so much."

"Well all I know is she's feeding us a home cooked meal- spaghetti and meatballs, letting us crash here and taking care of you. If she wasn't our aunt I'd marry her. Come on," Dean leaned over the back seat and pulled out his duffle bag, sliding out of the front seat. "I'm starving dude."

"You're always hungry," Sam grumbled as he grabbed his bag and exited the car. As they walked down the sidewalk and up to the side door, both boys noticed how clean and well-kept it seemed her yard was. The grass was freshly cut, flowers neatly lined the side of the house in an array of colors and the backyard seemed to be just as fruitful. Dean made a mental note that none of the other neighbors seemed to have such vibrant lawns or active gardens, but quickly pushed that to the back of his mind when Mandy opened the door.

"Boy's, it's about time y'all showed up on my doorstep." She greeted them, allowing them into the kitchen where it was clear she had been occupying before their arrival. The kitchen table had been set with silver wear, plates and cups, and the counter was littered with supplies for dinner.

"Something smells good," Dean commented towards the simmering pot of pasta sauce on the stove. Mandy smiled.

"Dinner'll be ready soon, just let me just show y'all around first." Leading them down the hall and into the living room, she paused at the base of the staircase. "Dean, your room is downstairs, second door on the left. And if for some odd reason ya find yourself fingerin' through my master bedroom on the second floor _or_ bothering your brother you'll be a heap of trouble." Dean simply nodded, quickly bounding down the hall to the bedroom. Smiling as he opened the door, he threw his duffle bag on the floor and flipped onto the bed.

"My own room," he said with a satisfied sigh. "It's about time."

Outside Mandy had quickly led Sam up the staircase and past a closed door, pointing out that it was her bedroom and it was off-bounds. The next door was the bathroom, and last was the second guest room.

"It's not as big as the room downstairs, but I figured its closer to a bathroom and my room is right down the hall-"

"It's perfect Aunt Mandy, thank you." Sam gently sat down on the bed and gave a pitiful glance to his aunt. Mandy quickly sat down next to him and put her arm around his shoulder.

"We're gonna take care of this Sammy, it's gonna be alright." Sam just put his head on her shoulder.

* * *

"Sam, I made you a sundae. Will you please-"

"I'm not really in the mood for frozen dairy." Sam said dryly from the living room couch where he was currently seated, lazily flipping through channels on the television. "Thank you though Mandy, I'm full from dinner."

"Sam, please." Suspicions raced through his mind as she held out her hand and tugged him towards the kitchen, where he saw a picturesque sundae sitting on the table. Vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate fudge sauce, whipped topping and nuts all sat in perfect harmony, neither the fudge or ice cream melting yet. One crimson cherry sat on top, stem tilted to the left side where a silver spoon sat waiting for him. As Sam grudgingly sat down in a chair, he saw Dean staring at the ice cream longingly, licking his lips hungrily.

"I tried to make it look as appetizing as possible since I know your feelin' pretty poorly."

"Well you succeeded in that area," Dean grumbled from peering through the kitchen cabinets looking for something to eat.

"Mandy, I already told you I'm not really in the mood-"

"Just one bite, please Sammy?" Mandy held out the spoon. "All I'm askin' for is one bite." As he looked into her pleading brown eyes, Sam sighed and quickly snatched the spoon from her slender hand and took a bite. Allowing the ice cream to slowly melt on his tongue and the warm fudge to intermingle with the fluffy, creamy whipped topping, he closed his eyes as he felt Dean's on his back and tried not to enjoy it too much. Mandy smiled warmly.

"Knew you'd like it sugar. Now if you want more-" and that was it for Dean.

"How come Sam gets to have ice cream after dinner and you yelled at me when I tried to eat a candy bar because _you_ said we had to wait for Ellen and Bobby to come over?" Dean snapped at her, accusingly. So it had begun.

"Because I said so!"

"Not good enough! _Dean, don't eat Sam's crackers. Dean, don't eat Sam's yogurt. Dean, don't eat Sam's oatmeal-"_

"Enough Dean!" Mandy warned, but Dean was just getting started.

"–and I wouldn't touch that yogurt with a ten-foot pole Mandy!"

"Dean! You know perfectly well that these nutritional items are meant to help Sam…" She paused, thinking of the nicest way to say this.

"To help move things along," Ellen interrupted, entering the kitchen with Bobby in tow and sitting down at the table. Mandy gave her a thankful smile as she grabbed some silverware from the drawer and placed it on the table.

"Exactly, and while you're in the fridge grab the milk."

"But yogurt? Orange juice? Come on now, you're just trying to kill me!" Dean cried, slamming the refrigerator door shut.

"All of these items either have live bacterial cultures that are normally found in the digestive tract, or are full of dietary and functional fiber." Mandy quickly pulled a pie from the oven, placing it on top of the stove and gave Dean a heated glance.

"Oh God, please spare me the fiber talk again Mandy," Dean moaned as he rummaged through her cabinets for a clean glass to pour the milk. Sam smirked as he finished off the last of his ice cream.

"Maybe you've forgotten a few things since our last discussion."

"I was 12!"

"So?"

"Dean, just stop this bickering with Mandy and Sam now!" Dean's mouth fell open as he turned to look at Bobby. "You're bein' a pain in the ass to everyone that's trying to help your brother out, and it needs to end now."

"But-"

"No buts! I'm so sick of hearin' you bitch and moan about this and that! Why do you think Ellen sent you over here in the first place? She spent one day with you and was ready to kill ya!"

"But _Mandy_-"

"I don't care what your excuse is," Ellen warned as she snatched the milk jug out of his hands. "Your behavior is unacceptable. If you don't start behaving you'll have to spend the rest of the time at Bobby's while Sam recuperates."

"_Recuperates? _This isn't an operation Ellen, the guys just blocked up!"

"You never know," Mandy whispered to Ellen as she began to serve the pie, purposely giving Dean a small piece. As they ate dessert in silence, Sam cleared his throat and stood up.

"I'm gonna hit the head and try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Sounds fine with me, let me know if ya need anything okay sugar?"

"Yep." Sam turned to start up down the hall when he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and Mandy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting us stay here for a while. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did, Ellen would have kicked ya out after a few days of dealin' with ya and Bobby probably would have tanned your hide if ya kept that up at his place."

Bobby just smiled as Ellen nodded.

"Well, thanks." Mandy just smiled as Sam wearily climbed the stairs and Dean excused himself from the table to take up his brother's empty space on the sofa, watching the television.

"Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?" Ellen whispered to Mandy as she took a long sip of her mug of coffee.

"I am a doctor-"

"We're talkin' about the Winchesters here," Bobby said as he ate the last bite of his pie. "Just because you are giving them free room and board, and better guest service than they're used to, doesn't mean squat."

"I don't understand what you're saying. You sent them here; you had Dean call me…"

"Mandy," Ellen started. "All we're saying is there is a lot of crap in the air right now, and most of it is because or being blamed on those two. There are plenty of rumors going around _The Roadhouse _that may or may not have an ounce of truth to them."

"Dean's still tight-lipped about John's death, and Sam's got these visions; you've got yourself two of the biggest idjits on this side of the Mississippi and you just invited them over to live under your roof."

"Look, those two have always been a few eggs short of a dozen, but y'all know just as well as I do that they never had any stability in their lives. I mean, the closest thing they have to a house with four walls is the Impala. I've always tried to offer them everything I was denied growing up; a place to call home, and someone to call whenever for whatever."

"That's a beautiful speech Mandy, but you forget who you're talkin' to- the boys stayed with me all the time up until John's ego got the best of him and we cut ties." Bobby said as he put his hand over hers. "Just, remember what John wanted for his boys and respect his wishes. Take care of things and then let them go. Don't go to them Mandy, promise us that."

"Respect John's wishes?"

"He kept your secret, took it to the grave. Let it stay there."

Mandy only nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. This happens to be my first, and favorite chapter of this particular story.

* * *

Chapter 6

"How many days has it been?" Mandy whispered to Ellen as she stirred something thick in a pot on the stove. Ellen sighed, closing her eyes in thought.

"I believe six days, maybe seven? They were here a day before I called you and that was bad enough." She walked over to the stove and peered into the pot. "How are you going to get him to choke that down?"

"Sammy requested it," Dean answered as he too, joined the conversation. He was followed closely by Bobby, who made his way to Mandy to look in the simmering pot.

"The old stand-by?" He questioned.

"None other. Nothin' but the best for the Winchesters." Ellen said.

"Lord knows y'all are so stubborn you don't say anything until it comes to this," Mandy said, brandishing a wooden spoon at Dean. He put his hands up in defense.

"Hey, that's Sam," he replied quickly. "He's the one that you used to say had a… oh, how'd you phrase it? _Delicate digestive system._ Bitch is just picky is all."

"Dean I 'aughta smack you-" Mandy started as she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "But I don't have the time. Ellen, can you grab a bowl? Sam'll need to eat this gruel before it gets too cold." Ellen nodded and pulled an earthenware bowl from a far right cabinet. Gently scraping the sides clean, Mandy poured what looked like soupy oatmeal into the container. Dean shuddered.

"Dude, that stuff is _so_ nasty."

"It'll get the job done though," Bobby muttered as he grabbed some silverware for Sam.

"I still don't understand how he can eat that, or _ask_ for it for God's sake- it tastes like sewage water and oatmeal."

"Just because ya can eat garbage all day and suffer no ill effects doesn't mean Sam can too, and it doesn't justify ya making fun of him either."

"Mandy-"

"You know just as well as I do half the calls I got from your Daddy were about you swallowing marbles or sticking peas up your nose." Ellen burst out laughing at Mandy's retort.

"That is true," Bobby whispered to her as he leaned against the counter. "I re-acquainted him with Miranda's number because I didn't want to hear him bitch about it anymore."

"Well that's nice Bobby." Dean said sarcastically to him as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. "Besides, I'd take passing marbles over any of Sammy's week-long illnesses any day. How many times did he get the stomach flu or food poisoning or some crap like that?"

"Just as many times as you did; you two were attached to the hip most of the time, so when one caught something it was just a matter of time until the other did." Dean glared at Bobby for answering.

"And since y'all ate together, chances of just one of y'all getting sick from somewhere are slim to none- your Daddy and I dealt with more than one case of you two both bein' sick at the same time." Mandy looked at Ellen. "Now that was just askin' for trouble if you ask me."

Upstairs Sam curled up in the too small bed, closing his eyes and letting out a pained breath as his stomach cramped yet again. He didn't fully understand what was going on; he would catch glimpses of concerned stares, hear snippets of conversations revolving around him. He knew that he was ill and that Dean thought they were making a big deal out of nothing; that he felt they were babying him because when he was ill he was all needy and shit- that's what Dean said at least.

Though he didn't fully remember everything in the crystal clear images that Dean did, Sam was still able to close his eyes and feel Mandy's cool hand brush his fevered forehead; or the way she'd smell after baking bread, all yeasty and salty and warm. He could see her leaning in and tucking the sheets in around him gently, asking if he needed anything else before going to sleep and whispering that she loved him. He could feel her soft lips pressed against his forehead when he sobbed for hours over Dean's appendicitis, not fully understanding how he could survive this unsurpassable amount of pain and anguish. Sam remembered all the times that Dean was sick, and Mandy would come by to play games with him, color and bake cookies to keep him occupied while John took care of his eldest.

He remembered how after the illness, when Dean was irritable and restless and ready to get out of bed but they wouldn't let him, Mandy would help Sam mix up batches of Grape Kool-Aid and make all sorts of gently intoxicating dishes for Dean to pick at. Hasty Pudding, Puffed Eggs, Dainty Pudding, Milk Toast and Banana Flips. Sam loved helping her make applesauce; picking out the ripest, freshest apples at whatever farmers market was in the area, and helping his aunt cook them until they were soft and able to mash. Dean liked his to be a little chunky still, while Sam preferred his to be put through a potato ricer so it was silky and smooth. He remembered the first time they made Peach Foam, and Shirred Eggs; and he could still recall the first time he helped her make chicken soup for when Dean was getting over some stomach virus, and how he thought chicken soup was only for colds.

They spent over five hours boiling that chicken down until it fell off the bones and strained the liquid a ridiculous amount of times to make sure they got everything out- and this was the day _before_ Dean was to eat it. It was only broth, but Sam had never seen Dean eat something so fast after being so ill.

Ellen liked to keep her own memory of an ill two-year-old Sam, when they were still on good terms when Bill was alive; apparently, in his fever induced state he refused to do anything but be carried around, rocked gently in her arms. Again, not that he remembered that.

Now though, he'd done everything in his power to pull a _Dean_; meaning he hid his illness instead of complaining the first minute he felt ill. So that first odd stomachache after the greasy spoon in that town outside of _Springfield, Ohio_ he chalked up to indigestion and Dean's Darwinistic experiments in the refrigerator. The second one, which lasted a full day of irritating cramping and churning, he remembered that peppermint was soothing to the intestines, so he started chewing gum and popping those red and white swirled mints- all that did was irritate Dean further. By the fourth day, when he'd both realized the issue at hand and found out they were dealing with a Trickster from Bobby, he knew unfortunately they didn't have the time to properly correct said issue and had to kill that son-of-a-bitch who let the air out of the Impala's tires. So by the end of the fourth day, with the fifth slowly rising over the silent highway, Sam found himself on the road, uncomfortably bloated. Irritated and snappish, with cramps assaulting his abdomen, he figured that his body had had enough and had felt the need to empty all its contents inside the small gas station restroom where he's begged Dean to pull into. At least that's what his body _felt_ like doing.

Instead, he was left with a fruitless _attempt_ to use the facilities, and now more bloated and crampy than before, he tried to put on a happy face for Dean. They had spent a full three hours in the motel room they'd rented before Ellen called, checking in, and forcing them to drive eleven hours to Nebraska to be properly taken care of. It was now the seventh day; he'd spent the past two days choking down water, fiber and was now trying the last resort of an old family recipe for gruel that always seemed to do the trick before. Sam wasn't holding his breath- every previous attempt had left him in excruciating pain as his intestines tried to push something somewhere with little effect.

They were all concerned, Sam could tell. The whole house was tense, and Dean used that to his advantage by pushing everyone's buttons. Feeling completely out-of-the-loop, he rebelled against Ellen and Bobby, and even now Mandy had a hard time reining him back in. Mandy, who always knew exactly what to say to get Dean to calm down, was at a loss. Dean fought tooth and nail against everyone's help for Sam, and proved to be a thorn in all of their sides from the moment Sam admitted to feeling ill. Even here at Mandy's Dean had settled down for about a day, until he'd decided enough was enough and there was no need to baby his younger brother because he had a stomachache.

Sam just wanted this to be over; his body was assaulted with waves of pain every moment. Every breath hurt, every movement was heavy and sluggish; he felt incapacitated and unable to do anything. He just wanted it to end. Mandy gently knocked on the door, causing Sam to sigh and curl into a tighter ball.

"When was the last time I saw you like this sugar?" Mandy said as she walked in, brushing the fringe off his forehead as Dean followed behind her, holding the bowl of gruel.

"I'd say, three…" Sam paused, licking his lips. "No, four years at least."

"Four!" Sam closed his eyes and nodded slowly, sending Dean reeling. "For _what_?"

"Hey hey! Patient-doctor confidentiality Dean," Mandy said, turning to Dean and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He seemed to almost lean into her touch and looked thoroughly upset when she removed it, turning back to talk to Sam. "Though I was very glad that girlfriend of yours called me. Stole your phone from right under your nose, but lord knows it was the right thing to do."

Sam visibly stiffened at the mention of this.

"How is she, Jess right?" When Sam made no comment, Mandy looked over at Dean to see the pain etched in his face. "Oh Sam-"

"Can I have a word with Sam Mandy?"

"Of course, just don't…" Trying to break the silence, she gave a small laugh before she spoke again. "I didn't tell him about all those times your Daddy called me over for _Foreign Object Removal._"

Sam snickered as he slowly sat up.

"Mandy," Dean warned.

"Dean was a very curious child." She turned and gently closed the door behind her as Dean moved to sit on the edge of Sam's bed.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Dean pushed the bowl of gruel into Sam's hands.

"What are you on now?" Sam spat at him, putting the bowl on the nightstand and lying down, turning onto his side away from Dean.

"Jess, she was one of…" Dean's voice uncharacteristically faltered.

"Just spit it out," Sam hissed at him, thoroughly upset and getting more irritable by the minute.

"Last time you were ill Jess took care of you right?" Sam stayed silent. "Look, it may have been all Mandy's instructions, but I…"

"You what?" He choked out, turning to look at him with glassy eyes.

"I guess I get it." Sam blinked. "You kinda pulled away from me Sammy. Normally when you're ill you get all clingy and shit, but now? You hid this pretty well."

"Thanks, I guess."

"I know you feel the same way about Mandy that I do Sammy. She was more of a maternal –motherly figure than Dad ever was." Dean gave a small smile. "Questionable illnesses, foreign object removal, she was there. Hey, remember when you were six and got food poisoning?" Sam blanched, clearly remembering. "While Dad was freaking out about a kid your size ralphing up so much bile, who rushed over to console him and take care of us?"

"Mandy."

"And when I had appendicitis and thought I was gonna die, who reassured us I wasn't and then took that fugly out?"

"Mandy."

"So I get that you let Jess in, had her fill whatever sick void you had and now she's gone."

"Dean, you don't get-"

"But I'm not gone Sammy. Mandy isn't gone- we just grew up and didn't see the need for our friendly neighborhood pediatrician until now." Sam sighed.

"I know."

"But I'll bet you anything Jess did to make you feel better Mandy can do a million times better." Sam cracked a small smile.

"I dunno about that, Jess used to hold me close in this way that she thought was _calming_…" Dean raised one eyebrow as Sam rolled over onto his back and gave a sigh of satisfaction. "She used to say it was something about the rhythm of her heartbeat that was relaxing, but really man. They were _nice._"

"You sly dog you." Both boys finally laughed, relieving the tension in the room. "Now eat your gruel."


	7. Chapter 7

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage.

* * *

Chapter 7

"Mandy, tell me a story," Sam muttered, slurring a few words seeing as he was on the edge of sleep. He blinked his eyes open, lifting his head quickly and looked at her.

"Lay down," she said, patting her thigh. Sighing, Sam gently placed his head on her lap as she began running her fingers through his hair soothingly. Adjusting the blanket that was once around his shoulders and turning so he was facing up, he dangled his long legs off the edge of the couch and closed his eyes. Mandy continued to brush his hair, now gently humming as Sam crossed his hands over his stomach, trying to forget the pain.

"Please Mandy?"

"What do you want to hear?"

"Tell me…" Sam trailed off as he yawned. "Tell me a story about Dean when he was little. And not one of those _y'all were so sick_ stories, just a normal story." Mandy gave a slight laugh.

"About Dean? I don't have many stories about Dean; it was always you who got your Daddy to call for me- you were the one who always got caught messin' around." Mandy paused, thinking. "I can only think of one, Dean was ten and you were in…"

_Flashback to Fort Douglas, Wisconsin 1988._

"_Miranda?" John's gruff voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke inside the motel, trying not to wake a sleeping Sam and Dean._

"_John? What is it? Is it Sammy again, because I've already told you nothing's wrong-"_

"_It's not Sam, its Dean." John sighed and tapped his fingers against the window pane. "Ever since the shtriga he hasn't been acting the same. I know it's because he thinks I'm disappointed in him- which I am, but now? It's been a week, it's like he's just going through the motions. You know?"_

"_I guess, but what does this have to do with me? If he's not sick I don't know what you want me to do,"__ Mandy said into the phone._

"_I don't know what to do about this…" John paused before he spoke again._

"_And?"_

"_And there's a hunt this weekend. I was going to send the boys to Jim's, but maybe you could watch them? Talk to Dean, figure things out?"_

"_So you basically just want me to babysit your kids, eh?"_

"_Miranda, please. I feel like Dean is slipping from my grasp and there's nothing I can do to stop it. He's growing up as it is, I can't lose him now. It's… it's too soon." Mandy sighed as she heard the sincerity in John's voice._

"_Alright, what time did you want me over?"_

"_The boys should be out of school at three o'clock and back at the motel by three thirty. I planned on leaving in the afternoon and should be back by Sunday night."_

"_Whatcha planning on hunting?"_

"_Pretty sure it's a Shapeshifter. Son-of-a-bitch has been kidnapping a parent, usually the mother, and then after a few days kills the family. It's just a few states over," John said, pushing the boy's bedroom door open to check on their sleeping figures. As usual, Sam was curled into a ball in the corner of the bed while Dean was sprawled out, almost knocking his brother off the bed. Shutting the door with a smile, he sat down on a chair at the kitchen table and took a sip from an open beer._

"_Sounds fantastic,"__ Mandy said with fake sarcasm. __"I should be there by three o'clock no problem."_

"_Thanks again Miranda."_

"_Don't mention it. I'm sure I can crack Dean and get things back to normal."_

"_If anyone could, it would be you Miranda."

* * *

_

_After a night of watching old Godzilla movies, eating pizza and popcorn, Mandy sent Sam off to change and brush his teeth, pulling Dean aside._

"_Sam can handle this himself Tiger," she muttered from the corner of her mouth as she put a hand on his shoulder. Dean nodded and watched as Sam ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Hearing the water running, Mandy turned to Dean._

"_I think we need to have a talk kiddo." Upon hearing this Dean crossed his arms, backing away from her._

"_Talk? What is there to talk about?"_

"_Um… I don't know, maybe this little attitude you seem to have adopted recently?"_

"_I don't have an attitude Mandy!"_

"_I swear, you stomp your foot and throw a fit I'm sending you to your room without dessert," she said jokingly. Dean just rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath and turning to walk away. "Hey! Don't you walk away from me Dean Winchester!"_

"_We have nothing else to talk about and I have homework to do."_

"_It's a Friday night," Mandy said smugly._

"_I'm tired-"_

"_Done!" Sam cried, launching himself onto Mandy's legs, smiling widely. "Look at how clean my teeth are Aunty Manda!"_

"_Very good job Sammy!" She picked him up, kissing both cheeks. "And so minty! I could just eat you up!" Mandy quickly lifted his shirt up and blew a raspberry on his stomach, causing him to squeal in delight._

"_No Aunty Manda! You can't eat me!" Sam broke off, laughing. "No!"_

"_But you're so delicious Sammy!" She blew another raspberry onto his belly. _

"_No!" He squealed, laughing._

"_It's after 9:00 and past Sam's bedtime," Dean said from the bathroom before shutting the door behind him. Mandy sighed as Sam took a few deep breaths, no longer laughing._

"_What's wrong with De, Aunty Manda?" Sam asked, giving a small shudder, causing her to gently rub his back and place his head on her shoulder as they walked to the boy's shared bedroom._

"_I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Pulling back the sheets, she placed Sam down in the middle and tucked him in._

"_I hope you make him all better Aunty Manda, he's been real grumpy ever since Daddy saved me from that creepy thing." Sam yawned and closed his eyes. _

"_I promise I'll make him all better okay Sammy?" Mandy bent down and kissed his forehead. _

"_Okay, love you Aunty Manda."_

"_I love you too Sammy. Sweet dreams." Turning off the bedroom light and gently shutting the door, she turned to see Dean was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a glass of milk. "What's up tiger?" _

"_Nothing," he said around a sip of milk._

"_Can I sit down?" Mandy asked as Dean shrugged. She sat down next to him. "Is there anything you want to talk about Dean? Anything on your mind?"_

"_Nope," Dean quipped as he finished his milk and rose to put the glass in the sink. "I'm gonna head off to bed-"_

"_Dean, please." Dean paused, standing by the sink, back to Mandy. _

"_Please what?"_

"_Please, just talk to me. I know something's bothering you, I can tell." Mandy paused, letting out a quiet sigh. "And I think I know what it's about too."_

"_You do?" Dean still stood with his back turned to her._

"_Stop me if I'm wrong here kiddo, but I think this has something to do with what happened with that shtriga." Seeing Dean's shoulders slump a little she pushed further. "I don't know what your father said to you but-"_

"_That just it, he didn't say anything."_

"_Huh?"_

"_He just, he's… He gives me this look." Dean's frame shook as he took a shuddering breath. "He's disappointed."_

"_Dean?" He finally turned to look at her, silent tears streaming down his face. Wiping them with the back of his sleeve he sniffed and wiped his nose. _

"_He doesn't trust me," Dean whispered, more tears spilling down his cheeks._

"_Oh baby, no." Holding out her arms, Dean hesitated. "I know you want a hug, come here tiger." Dean finally launched himself into her arms, now openly sobbing into her shoulder and clutching her hair in his fists._

"_He… he doesn't t-trust me to… to watch S-Sammy," he stuttered between sobs._

"_Oh baby, that's not true. Not at all," Mandy said as she rubbed his back in comforting circles. Dean took a deep breath, breathing in her salty smell._

"_Yes it is, t-that's why you're here to… to watch us," Dean cried._

"_I'm here because your father knew you needed to talk to someone about this Dino, you needed to get this off your chest." Dean lifted his head to look her in the eyes. Watery green stared into concerned brown._

"_Really?"_

"_Really sport. Your Daddy called me and asked if I could talk to ya about what's been bothering ya," Mandy brushed the tears off his cheeks and kissed his forehead. "He was very upset ya weren't talking to him."_

"_He was?"_

"_Yep. Sammy too."_

"_Sammy too?" He hiccoughed as Mandy playfully rolled her eyes at him._

"_What are you, my talking parrot? Yes, Sammy too." Dean gave her a small smile before taking a few deep, shuddering breaths._

"_I'm sorry Aunty Mandy," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes. "I just…"_

"_Okay kiddo; listen up because I'm only sayin' this once. You may have messed up leavin', okay?" Dean's eyes turned glassy hearing her words. "But everyone messes up Dean, everyone. You made a mistake, oh well. Live and learn."_

"_But-"_

"_Your Daddy is more disappointed in himself for upsetting you than screwin' up the hunt."_

"_But-"_

"_Nothin' is more important than family," Mandy said sternly as she cupped his face. "Nothin'. If you don't have your family then what do you have? Family's the one true thing in a world full of crap." Dean swallowed thickly. "Yes, you goofed up. Yes, your Daddy was upset for a while that you disobeyed his orders. But now? Now he's just upset that you won't talk to him."_

"_I almost got Sammy killed."_

"_There was nothin' you could have done if you were here Dean, shootin' that damn thing would have done no good. You heard your Daddy, you needed special bullets."_

"_I guess," he muttered, trying to pull away from her grasp._

"_Not an I guess. Everyone screws up Dean."_

"_Even you?"_

"_Hell yes even me!" Dean smiled as she laughed. _

"_How?"_

"_How? Oh lord, which time do you want to hear about?"_

"_Pick one," he said yawning. Dean slowly rose, causing Mandy to stand as she held out her hand; Dean took it as she led him to the couch. Both sat down, and seeing her pat her thigh, Dean laid his head in her lap. "Surprise me."_

"_Well this one time back in Maine, I was in charge of making the Christmas dinner one year for the entire family…"_


	8. Chapter 8

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. This chapter includes the brief 'curing' of Sam's illness, so squeamish stomachs be advised.

* * *

Chapter 8

"Listen Bobby, I know how much you care about the boys and all, but I don't think its well, _right_ for you to stay at this exact moment."

"Why the hell wouldn't I stay _Miranda_?"

"Because, _Robert_, lord knows that Sam is embarrassed beyond recognition about this whole situation." Mandy sat down at the kitchen table, fingering the chipped cup of china she was drinking coffee out of. Bobby sat next to her. "Won't admit he's in discomfort, you know. He's John's son through and through, the one who won't listen to authority and won't fess up when he's ill."

"That's for sure."

"Good thing he's also Mary's son and has a lick of sense and knows when he's in over his head. He needs medicine Bobby, he needs fluids and to move things along." She sighed. "Drastic measures must be taken occasionally when the time calls for it-"

"You aren't suggesting what I think you are, _are_ you?"

"I am a trained doctor Bobby; I do this all the time on my patients. If Sam doesn't move around too much it shouldn't hurt at all, just be slightly uncomfortable."

"Okay, I get enough of the picture to know when I'm not needed." Bobby stood up. "So what, do you just expect me to leave while you _unplug_ Sam? With Dean in the same house? He's been just as annoying as his brother this entire time and there's-"

"No way!" Dean called from the living room. Both Bobby and Mandy looked over to see him walking over, eating a sandwich and drinking a beer. "No way in _hell_ am I staying here while you shove whatever up my brothers-"

"Dean!" Mandy cried before he could complete his sentence.

"Well what do you want me to do with _Tweedle Dumb_ over here?" Bobby gestured to Dean.

"I was going to suggest grabbing a bite to eat, but seeing as Dean has already helped himself to the refrigerator…"

"Always room for more," Dean said around a swig of beer. "Where do you suggest we go? Because I am not going to have some tea and crumpets with Bobby in that trucker's hat, it _so_ clashes with his vest."

"Funny Dean."

"I like to think so," he said smiling.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of freaky fast sub sandwiches and classic rock music served with a sarcastic attitude and coke products."

"Classic rock? I'm in. And that damn coke had better be _refreshing._"

* * *

"But Dean! You can't just leave me here!" Sam cried as Mandy tried to apply some light pressure to his abdomen, checking yet again for pressure points. He squirmed, trying to escape her touch, flailing his arms and kicking the blankets off his lower half.

"Sammy, you know I love you. You're my little brother; I'd do anything for you. But there's no way in _hell_ I'm staying here to watch this. Not going to happen," Dean said, gently pushing Sam's shoulder down so he was lying back on the bed. "No way am I going to hold your hand and make everything better, and I'm sure as hell not going to give you this." Sam sat up in bed, pushing away everyone's hands, wincing.

"But _Dean_-"

"No but's Sam, you're ill. And if Mandy doesn't do something to help you're going to have to go to the hospital." Dean said the last part slowly, as if speaking to a small child. Sam glared at him. "Nope, not going to work on me."

"Sammy, I know you don't want-" Mandy was quickly interrupted by Dean, still trying to convince Sam into allowing the procedure.

"Do you really want someone you don't know doing this? Or do you want Mandy, who's basically been our family doctor since you were five? Knowing you, you'll get some butch nurse who can bench press twice as much as she weighs and has never seen a mirror. You want that?"

Sam gulped, eyes clearly mulling over the possibility.

"Huh Sammy? You want uni-brow Helga to make everything better? Huh Sam? Huh?"

"Alright!"

"That's what I thought," Dean said smugly, ruffling Sam's hair playfully. Sam batted his hand away.

"But why can't you just stay-"

"No way. Not doing it." Dean looked over his shoulder before speaking. "And besides, we have plans."

"_We?"_

"Yep. Bobby and I are checking out this sub shop. Freshly baked bread, fresh produce and meat, and classic rock twenty-four-seven." Dean licked his lips and rubbed his hands together expectantly.

"A _sub shop_?"

"I'm gonna check out the management and see if they've been-" he cleared his throat. _"-demonically possessed." _Dean raised his eyebrows.

"No fair!" Sam pouted.

"Life's not fair Sammy." Dean clapped him on the shoulder, as Sam looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Dean, please. I can't," he whispered.

"You can't or won't?"

"Same difference," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Dean! Let's get a move on it!" Bobby called from the other room. Dean sighed and tried to ruffle Sam's hair again, but Sam grabbed his hand, trying to convince him to stay.

"It'll all be over before you know it," he said, taking his hand back and walking out of the room.

Sam suddenly reached for the covers, pulling them up to his chin as he made eye contact with Mandy, who had been standing near the door during their conversation. She sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed, hands in her lap.

"Sammy-"

"It's Sam," he said curtly.

"_Sam_, I know you think this is terrible and all sorts of awful-" she started.

"You don't know the half of it."

"But Sam, you're being irrational. I'm a trained doctor, ya know this. I know what I am doin' sugar." Mandy gently ran her hand down the side of his face, trying to comfort him. "I know you're in a lot of pain and discomfort right now Sam. We can fix that, _I_ can fix that. You just have to trust me."

"And what if I don't?" Sam said hesitantly, letting go of his death-grip on the covers.

"What reason do you have not too? Have I ever hurt ya Sam?" He shook his head. "You're makin' this harder on yourself tiger. Ya know we've tried everything available to us-"

"Nuh-huh."

"Stop being so childish and roll over." She gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It'll all be over before ya know it."

"Don't say that, I don't want to hear it anymore," Sam said as he curled his toes under the covers. "You're not to tell anyone anything, ever."

"Who would I tell sugar, the_ Easter Bunny_?" Mandy said jokingly as she stood up and walked over to the dresser, where she had prepared the necessary tools. Sam squirmed as he saw her apply a clear gel onto the tip of something.

"That isn't funny, and it isn't going-"

"Not if you relax Sam. Take a deep breath through your nose and out your mouth. In and out, in and out." Sam took multiple deep breaths as she walked over towards him. "Now, do ya want to lie on your side or on your stomach?"

"Side," Sam said reluctantly, turning to his side as Mandy gently rubbed his side and got to work. He squeezed his eyes shut. Sam held his breath against the pressure, lips pressed together. His breath became short, quick gasps of air as he fought against the unfamiliar sensation.

Sam shuddered involuntarily at the release, against the pressure of Mandy's warm hand against his ridged abdomen, against the cold sweat he couldn't help. The hair stood up on the back of his arms as he winced and cracked one eye open.

"How long?" He pleaded, unsure if he should move or stay still.

"Only as long as ya can. You've done great Sam, the longer ya hold it in the more it'll help."

* * *

"So, how were things?" Bobby asked nonchalantly as he and Dean entered the kitchen. Dean gave a quick wave of acknowledgement to Mandy before disappearing up the stairs presumably towards Sam's room to check on his brother.

"Things went as well, or as well, as we could hope for." Mandy looked up from cleaning this morning's sink of dishes. "Sam's still being a grumpy gus, but at this moment who can blame him?"

Bobby opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the commotion upstairs.

"SAM!" There was a loud pounding on a door.

"WHAT? MANDY GAVE ME PERMISSION!" A loud thud, presumably Dean kicking said door, and a few seconds later another door slammed shut.

"What was all that about?" Bobby muttered as Ellen practically ran down the stairs from collecting dishes from Sam's room.

"Don't look at me- I just caught wind of Sam running into your bathroom and then Dean yelling at Sam." Placing the dirty dishes on the counter next to Mandy, she rolled her eyes at Bobby. "Dean then proceeded to try to kick the door down, and when that plan failed he went to use the other bathroom."

"Ya don't say," Mandy muttered as she focused on scrubbing dried Capt'n Crunch off a cereal bowl.

"Now what is that suppose to mean?" Bobby said, clearly out of the loop.

"How was Dean on the ride home Bobby?"

"Huh?"

"How was Dean behaving on the ride home? Talkative, quiet, pensive…"

"Quiet; too quiet if ya ask me now that I think about it." Bobby sat down at the kitchen table as Ellen followed suit. "Why do you ask?"

"Because irony is a tricky lil' devil that loves the Winchesters." Both Ellen and Bobby looked at each other as Mandy dried her hands off on a clean tea towel. "Dean's been bitchin' at all of us for takin' care of his brother all week, right? But that was only because he was worried about him- this was the first time in a long time that he couldn't help out his brother, so he took out his anger and frustration at us, and not to mention the way he teased Sammy."

"And what exactly was your point?"

"My point _is_ that if Dean was upset that Sam complained about his stomach and was getting _fawned_ over, his words not mine, then it's to be expected that somethin's wrong with that boys belly now." Both Ellen and Bobby groaned.

"I think I'm gonna need a shot of somethin' strong…" Bobby muttered as he stood up and rummaged through her cabinets.

"You're not gonna find anything, you honestly think I'd keep the strong liquor out somewhere where the boys could easily get a hold of it?"

"They are of age," Bobby muttered under his breath as he sat back down, defeated.

"Yes, but Dean chugs that stuff down like its water and Sam may be a happy drunk, but I ain't dealin' with his hangovers again." Mandy shuddered as Ellen cleared her throat.

"If Dean's anything like the way he's been acting for the past week with Sam-"

"What, cocky and arrogant? Sugar that's Dean's default setting!"

"You know what I mean," Ellen said as she stood up and snatched a beer from the refrigerator, quickly opening it and drinking most in one gulp.

"You mean that pissy, irritable bitchy crap?" Ellen nodded at Bobby's statement.

"Lord no!" Mandy said with a laugh. "Haven't you ever been around Dean when he's been ill?"

"No, I haven't seen them in years. John would call; he only stopped in once or twice after the accident, but I think he probably left the boys with one of you two clowns." Ellen paused, thinking. "The only time I saw one of them sick was Sam, and he was two then. Wouldn't let anyone put him down, clung to me like a leaf on a tree."

"Well Dean's the complete opposite," Bobby said as he went to the refrigerator and grabbed two more beers, handing one to Mandy.

"Dean shuts down; stops talkin', stops communicating. It's like he thinks if he ignores the problem it'll go away on its own." Mandy said as she opened hers and took a grateful swig.

"Which it doesn't," Bobby added around a mouthful of beer.

"Sam will tell ya everything ya need to know and more if he likes ya. Dean, well Dean-"

"He acts the way he did when Mary died." Ellen said in a ghost of a whisper as Bobby lowered his head a bit. Mandy felt awkward at the fact that she never knew the Winchesters at this crucial time in their lives, and yet she knew everything else and more than Bobby and Ellen did about the boys. It was times like these she regretted moving around so much and many of her choices in life.

"Exactly. Dean gets quiet, like he's retreated back into a shell." Mandy nodded at Bobby's statement.

"So if he's sick now-"

"Well a, it's probably just overindulgence comin' back to bite him in the ass. And b, I'll be able to handle this. He probably wouldn't listen to y'all anyway, no offence."

"None take, not that I want to be the one to deal with that boy's stomach problems. I've had enough of Sam's issues to last a lifetime." Mandy shot a glare at Bobby.

"Hell, I know if I asked that boy anything about his health he'd make a rude comment and brush it off," Ellen said, making Bobby smile.

"Y'all tend to forget that I have more people experience than the two of you _combined_."

"People? Maybe seals." Both Bobby and Ellen burst into laughter.

"Shut up, both of ya!" Mandy stormed out of the kitchen, leaving both Ellen and Bobby still gently laughing. Upstairs, after all the commotion died down, Dean quietly slipped out of the bathroom and into Sam's room.

"Hey Sammy," Dean said as he stood in the doorway of Sam's room. Sam ignored him. "I'm sorry about what just happened, I didn't think you were still using the can; the other door was closed too." Sam eyed him wearily before finally sighing.

"I suppose…"

"So, how'd it go?" Dean asked off-handedly as he sat down on the edge of Sam's bed. His brothers long legs threatened to hang over the edge of the bed and it took plenty of adjusting to make sure his toes were completely covered in the flannel blanket Mandy had brought up. Sam sighed, reaching for a mug of once hot tea. With trembling hands he managed to slosh only a little of the amber liquid out of the cup.

"Whoa there Sammy," Dean said softly as he took his younger brothers hands in his and guided the mug to his parted lips. "Small, slow sips okay?"

Sam nodded fervently and took a large gulp of the liquid.

"Slow it down Sam!"

"Sorry," he muttered breathlessly. "Just thirsty."

"I don't want you to choke, Mandy would kill me." Dean joked.

"It was twice."

"What?" Sam took another sip of the tea, this time it was much smaller.

"For good measure, that's what Mandy said."

"Oh. _Oh._" Sam gave a small shrug as realization settled on his brother. "Sorry dude."

"Its fine, I'm just-" Sam paused as he let go of the mug and allowed Dean to place it back on the nightstand. "- really exhausted."

"Wouldn't put it past ya."

Sam scrunched back down under the covers, closing his eyes, but quickly snapped them back open when he felt a sudden draft on his toes and Dean's laughter. He wiggled his toes, stretching them, then bent his legs so they were yet again buried under a bundle of fleece.

"Dude, you look like you're Snow White trying to sleep in one of the 7 Dwarf's beds," he chuckled. Sam quickly rolled to his side and curled into a ball, allowing plenty of room on the once cramped bed. "Hey, uh… How's your stomach though?"

"You wouldn't want to know." Sam said slowly as he tried to pull the covers over his head. Dean pulled them back down.

"Try me."

"Achy." Sam uncurled from his ball and rolled over to face Dean. "Crampy."

"Crampy? You sound like a fifteen-year-old PMSing girl. Cramping, come on Sam."

"This is why I don't tell you things Dean!"

"Wha-"

"You just poke a hole in it and ignore the fact that I brought it up!" Sam turned back around so he was facing the wall again.

"Sam, I…" Dean trailed off as he looked at the cluttered nightstand. Multiple glasses of water and tea, plates of crackers and dry toast, a thermometer, a bowl of what looked like dried prunes and apricots, and a notebook and pen sat on top. Within its drawers Dean didn't want to bother.

"Dean, just leave me alone alright?"

"Sammy, do you need anything?" Sam opened his eyes, face pursed in thought.

"Like what?"

"Like… Like a hot water bottle for your, um, stomachache. It'll help with the pain at least." Sam nodded in approval. "Did you want anything else to drink? I know that tea isn't warm anymore, and I know I can't sneak any Purple Nurple's past Mandy, but I can probably get some of that cranberry-apple juice you like."

"Thanks Dean."


	9. Chapter 9

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. The restaurant Dean and Bobby went to is called _Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches_, and the Gargantuan does in fact exist on the menu. Cookies given if you catch the hidden shout-out to one if my biggest fans.

* * *

Chapter 9

"Dean? What do you feel like for dinner?" Mandy asked, looking over at the eldest Winchester.

"Doesn't matter," he said, swallowing thickly at the prospect of food. "Whatever you make is fine with me. I'm not that hungry after going out to eat with Bobby."

"Well Sammy's getting more soup, and I know you'll pitch a fit if I even think of offering that to you, so how about grilled cheese?"

"Fine with me." Dean repeated, taking a sip of water and allowing an ice cube to linger on his tongue, slowly melting. "Good thing too, grape jelly and I had a falling out recently."

Before Mandy could question Dean's comment, Sam shuffled his was down the stairs and into the kitchen, rolling his eyes as he caught Dean's smirk of amusement. Following closely behind him, Ellen made her way into the kitchen, gently hitting Sam's behind with a folded newspaper that she then threw at Dean. Sam blushed as he sat down, adjusting the fleece blanket he had wrapped around his shoulders. Ellen gave a quick wave to Mandy and announced that she was going into the living room to work on compiling dates for a new case.

"I don't know why-"

"We're not going over this again Sam," Mandy said from the stove as she stirred a steaming pot. "You've spent the last four days cooped up in that room doing nothing but sleep! You need to be up and about!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Sam grumbled as Dean tried not to snicker and went about reading the newspaper Ellen had brought. Mandy walked over to Sam, gently cupping his scowling face and kissing his forehead.

"Hey, stop being so grumpy. You're face is going to freeze like that." Sam cracked a small smile as she pulled away.

"Alright, so what are you forcing me to eat tonight?"

"You're getting soup and Dean decided on grilled cheese." Dean blanched, hiding his face behind the newspaper and tried to concentrate on reading it.

"Soup? Not again Mandy!" Sam said, pouting.

'_Boy Sam is really putting on a show,' _Dean thought briefly.

"You'll love it, trust me." Mandy walked over and placed the steaming bowl in front of him. "It's chicken and wild rice."

Dean's stomach decided now was the perfect time to cramp and give off a particularly painful sounding gurgle, causing Mandy and Sam to look at him expectantly. Dean cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"Nature calls, I think I'll call it an early night," he muttered as he pushed his chair out and tried to calmly walk out of the room and up the stairs to the bathroom. Mandy turned to Sam as they both heard the door slam shut.

"He seems to be doin' that a lot since they got back, wouldn't ya say Sammy?"

"I don't know," Sam answered nonchalantly. "I haven't really been paying attention." He suddenly gave a wicked grin as he picked up the spoon and blew on the soup.

"What?"

"Well, at least we know which bathroom he's been using," Sam said around a mouthful of chicken and broth.

"What do you mean by that?" Mandy demanded.

"Dean's probably been in and out of _your_ private master bathroom!" Sam said, bursting into laughter. "He said it's the only one with a proper lock, that idiot."

"_My_ bathroom!" She screeched, scraping her own chair against the wooden floor and flying up the stairs. "Dean Winchester! If you're usin' my private bathroom I swear to _God_…"

As Mandy got to the top of the stairs and entered her bedroom, it was clear that Dean had indeed been in and out of her room for the past few hours. Her bed, which had been neatly made in the morning was now disheveled and had the covers thrown about. Trying to ignore the sounds she heard coming from behind the bathroom door, she winced and left the room until she was sure Dean was done.

* * *

Mandy walked into her master bedroom a half hour later to find the eldest Winchester curled in bed, asleep. Walking up to him, she immediately noticed his sleeping arrangement. Dean was the type of person who liked to spread out in a bed, stretching in every direction just because he could. At the moment though, Dean was curled into a tight ball, asleep on his side.

"What the hell is goin' on with ya Dean?" She muttered, causing Dean to slowly wake up. He blinked a few times before registering that Mandy was sitting on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands together. She gave him a small smile, now running her hand up and down the side of his face.

"Mandy?" Dean croaked; wincing as he heard how strained his voice sounded.

"Dean? What's wrong sweetheart? I know you're not feelin' good- hell, ya went to bed early!"

"Nothing's wrong Mandy."

"You've been in and out of _my_ bathroom all evening." Mandy said, standing up to walk to the master bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and running it under the faucet. "Now why don't ya tell me what's really wrong before I kick ya out of my room."

"It's just an upset stomach," Dean muttered, shivering as Mandy placed the cool cloth on his forehead.

"Of course it is," she said sarcastically as she continued to wipe his face with the cloth. "So tell me what's wrong before I call Bobby to get your butt outta my bed." Dean sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you," he said as he uncurled from his ball and turned onto his stomach, allowing the washcloth to fall off his forehead as he smothered his face into the pillow.

"Dean?"

"It smells like you," he grumbled.

"Pardon?"

"Your pillow, it smells like you." Dean lifted his head to look at her. "And since I didn't want to tell you, I figured this was the next best way to be near you."

"You're one odd kid Dean," Mandy said laughing as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What didn't you want to tell me?"

"Urg, it was that stupid sandwich shop," he muttered, now slowly turning to his side so he could look her in the eye. He quickly curled into a tight ball, arms wrapped around his stomach. "I got the _Gargantuan_- it has basically everything you could imagine on it. Salami, spicy ham, roast beef, turkey, ham, bacon, cheese. And then the manager coned me into getting extra tuna, avocado spread and peppers on it." Dean swallowed thickly as Mandy grimaced.

"Well no wonder you got an upset stomach sugar, sounds like ya ate everything but the kitchen sink," she said trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny!" He said indignantly. "The sandwich was huge, I mean I thought I was gonna need a bigger mouth. And then everyone was watching to see if I'd finish it, so I _had_ to."

"Betcha you regret doin' that now."

Dean nodded as he bit back a groan, feeling his stomach turn yet again.

"I thought I liked it, but apparently my stomach has other ideas," he groaned as he pushed himself out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Mandy thought her lip was going to bleed from biting it so hard.

"If ya need me I'll be downstairs makin' some tea for ya, okay?"

"You would," Dean said from behind the closed door. Mandy managed to make it half-way down the stairs before she burst into laughter, clutching her sides as tears trickled down her face. Ellen was the first to follow the sounds of amusement to the kitchen stairs, questioning why Sam was still sitting at the table, now swirling a partially melted bowl of orange sherbet with one hand. He shrugged.

"What on earth is going on here?" Ellen asked as Mandy finally took a seat on one of the steps, trying not to laugh as hard.

"It's Dean," she started before busting out into laughter again.

"Of course it's that idjit." Bobby said from the side door as he came in from grabbing a bunch of books from his car. "What'd he do this time?"

"We'll I'd say it has more to do with what he thought he was_ expected_ to do."

"Huh?"

"Why don't you tell Ellen about what Dean had for lunch."

"Oh, you mean that." Bobby put the texts on the counter and scratched at his head from under his trucker's hat. "You mean that huge-ass sandwich he demolished?"

"Yep!" Mandy's laugher echoed down the stairway as she thought of him eating that entire sandwich.

"What about it?"

"We'll he's been running in and out of the bathroom ever since y'all got home."

"Serves him right!" Ellen said. "That's what he gets for thinkin' he can just go around eating everythin' and anything!"

"Yeah well the poor kids been in and out of _my_ personal bathroom attached to _my_ bedroom!"

"That makes things even better!" Bobby said laughing. "Don't forget to open those windows Mandy."

"Oh I know; how many times has he done this before? Eaten himself sick?"

"Not recently," Sam piped up from the table. "He's been pretty good at the whole watching what he eats thing." Earning a glare from Mandy he quickly silenced himself with a large spoonful of sherbet, wincing as the cold overwhelmed his mouth.

"Well this is all fun and games but we actually have something to discuss with you, in private." Bobby said, lowering his voice. "Is our trip to the aquarium still on for this tonight?"

"Absolutely, lord knows I need to get in that water!"

"Just makin' sure."

* * *

Later that night Sam ran into the kitchen, his sock-clad feet skidding across the wooden floor, causing him to lose his balance for a moment. Flailing his long arms, he quickly grabbed the counter to balance himself.

"Whoa there Sammy!" Mandy cried, gently placing her hands on his waist. Taking a deep breath, Sam gave her a grateful glance. "What are you doin' up now? It's well after ten love."

"What are _you_ doing up now?" Sam asked accusingly as Mandy put her hands on her waist, raising an eyebrow.

"Dishes- now spill. Why are you up now?"

"Dean wanted me to get something from the car."

"At this hour?" Mandy questioned, not fully knowing if she wanted to hear the answer. Sam thankfully didn't catch her hands shaking at each plunge into the soapy water and the way she held her breath afterward.

"Yeah…" Sam ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"What's the_ reason_?"

"Don't judge Dean-" he blurted before he could catch himself. "Dean said he still has some indigestion or heartburn or something, but he wanted some Pepto and we have some in the car so he said just to get it and not bother you."

"Not bother me?"

"Yep, that's what he said." Breathless, Sam turned to leave as Mandy grabbed his shoulder.

"If Dean's still sick he needs to tell me, not have his brother doing a grocery store run for somethin' that'll just mask the illness!" She muttered as she scoffed at the mere idea of the bubblegum pink liquid entering the premise. "And not on my watch! _Pepto,_ please!"

"Why not? Dean said not to bother you!"

"Who do you think I am? _Don't bother me,_ yeah right! Y'all always bother me anyway," Mandy muttered as she began rummaging through her cabinets, pulling out a box of tea and setting it on the counter. "Can you put that kettle on to boil?"

Sam nodded, filling the tea pot up with warm water before turning on the stove and setting it on top of the flickering gold flame.

"Dean'll know I asked you for help," Sam said in a sing-song voice as he turned to look at Mandy, who was back to doing the dishes. Hands submerged in the hot, sudsy water, she rolled her eyes at him. "I would never make tea for him."

"Well too bad, because if I see that pink shit in my house I'll murder the person who bought it." Sam nodded solemnly, believing her with every fiber of his being, now picking up the hand towel and drying the dishes. Wordlessly, he dried them all and then put them away until he heard the tell-tale signs of the water boiling.

"Can I put it in?"

"Go ahead sugar," Mandy said as Sam picked up the box, opening it up. He sniffed the box before placing a bag into the tea pot- for some odd reason it was always his favorite part of helping her in the kitchen; measuring the proper amount of tea leaves into the boiling pot and allowing the leaves to fully immerse themselves in the water and allow their fragrance to wash over him.

"What is this?"

"What do you think it is?"

"Chamomile, and ginger… but it smells minty too," Sam looked at the box in his hands, though it offered him no answers as its blank sides mocked him. The only label was the letter _W_ on top. "What's _W_ stand for?"

"The obvious- Winchester." Sam gave her a sarcastic smile before putting the box back. "There's this tea shop down the street and I happen to know the owner. Lisa gives me a good deal because she knows I go through that stuff like nuts to a squirrel when y'all are around."

"Nice to know you care so much," Sam joked as he waited for the tea to steep. "Should I bring Dean anything else? You could finally teach me to make that toast water you forced down my throat back in Salem."

"Toast water is for nausea, so I doubt it'd do much good. Plus, he wouldn't drink it if we fed it to him intravenously."

"That's true," Sam said as Mandy handed him a cup and saucer.

"Give it another minute or so, but you can get your brother some crackers from the cupboard, or make him some toast if you feel up to it." Sam gave her a pointed look.

"Do you realize how late it is? Dean's lucky he's getting anything from me!"

"Well I only say that because Ellen and Bobby called, they need a little help on some hunt they're on." Sam's eyebrows almost hit the top of his head.

"Hunt? For what? Where?"

"We're not playing twenty questions Sam, and besides, I don't know. All I know is that Bobby needed some back-up and I'm available to help."

"Why didn't he ask us earlier? I can help-"

"No." Mandy said quickly as she cut him off. "You're still wobbly on your feet and wouldn't be any good on a hunt."

"But-"

"I said no! Now go take this tea up to your brother." Rolling his eyes and clearly upset that he had no final say in this, he yanked the tray from his aunt and stomped up the stairs.

"Son of a bitch Sam, why'd you tell her?" Dean spat at Sam as he walked into his bedroom carrying a tray of tea.

"A simple thank you would be nice," Sam said sarcastically as he put the tray down on his brother's lap. "And I didn't tell her anything; she caught me with the Pepto and confiscated it."

"_Confiscated it?_" Dean asked incredulously as he picked up the mug and sniffed the tea. "How the hell do you let your aunt confiscate something from you?"

"She said if she caught more of the _pink shit_ in her house she'd murder whoever bought it." Sam sat down on a chair in the corner of the room. "And drink that tea."

"Who's gonna make me?"

"Mandy'll, and you know it." Dean took a quick sip, grimacing.

"Dude, come on! It's not even sweetened!"

"Mandy said no sugar for indigestion." Dean just rolled his eyes as Sam caught the rumble of an engine pull up into the driveway. He quickly pulled back the curtains to see Mandy locking the front door, carrying something large and furry with her. Whatever it was, she held it close to her chest; even after entering Bobby's car and beginning to chat with both him and Ellen, she never put it down. Sam cast a glance at Dean, eyes questioning what he just saw.


	10. Chapter 10

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage.

* * *

Chapter 10

The next morning while Mandy was standing at the counter, stirring cream and sugar into her morning cup of coffee, she thought about all the times she had helped the boys when they were in some sort of sticky situation. Reminiscing, her mind quickly went to the first time of many that both boys were ill…

_Flashback to January 24__th__, 1989._

"_Eat enough tiger?"John said with a laugh as Dean finished off the last of his birthday pie. Sam was still picking at his french fries, Dean having finished his meal off long before his younger brother in anticipation of blueberry pie._

"_Dad?" Sam questioned, looking up at John._

"_Yeah sport?"_

"_Can we go home now? My stomach hurts."_

"_Come here Sammy," John said as Sam climbed out from the opposite side of the booth and sat in next to his father, ignoring the feeling of helplessness and needing. John felt his forehead before planting a kiss on it, in which Sammy blushed and pulled away. "Where does it hurt?"_

_Sam put his head on John's shoulder._

"_Just everywhere Dad." John sighed- the last thing they needed was Sam to be getting ill. Dean scrapped the last of the ice cream off his plate and looked up as the waitress walked by._

"_Anything else I can get for you, Birthday Boy?"_

"_Can I get another slice of blueberry pie?" The waitress looked at John for approval._

"_That's fine. Do you have any tea?"_

"_Chamomile and regular tea," she responded as she scribbled down on their ticket._

"_Can I get a cup of the chamomile and some ice?"_

"_No problem." She looked over at Sam. "Hey kiddo, you feelin' okay?"_

"_My stomach hurts," Sam said, burying his head in John's shoulder._

"_Well I'm sure your Daddy will have you feelin' better in no time. I'll be right back with your tea and pie." Watching her retreating form, John spoke to Dean._

"_Dean, I know it's your birthday and all, but would you mind hurrying up with that pie? Your brother isn't feeling too good." Upon saying that, Sam clutched his stomach, groaning._

"_Dad, my stomach…"_

"_I'll hurry," Dean said with a sigh._

"_Thanks Dean. Come on Sammy, let's go to the bathroom and see if that helps, huh?" Carrying Sam, John walked to the one person bathroom, locking the door behind them._

"_Happy Birthday Dean," Dean muttered before the waitress returned._

"_Here's your pie sweetheart," she said, placing the plate in front of him. "Where's your Daddy and brother?"_

"_Went to the bathroom," Dean said around a forkful of pie._

"_We'll I hope he feels better. Happy Birthday," she said with a smile as she put the check down and went to help another table._

_How like Sammy to get sick while they were out on his birthday. As it was Wisconsin was bone-chillingly cold and miserable, and with Sam being ill it would just make things worse. Sam and Dean may have both been Winchesters, but the similarities had ended there, especially when they were sick, up until last week. Sam was normally incredibly vocal about what hurt and how he was feeling, not to mention irritable, crabby, clingy and downright inconsolable at times. Dean on the other hand, tended to just pretend everything was fine and hide his feelings of sickness. But ever since Dean has started talking about how much responsibility went into turning ten- it was double digits after all- Sam, who had always looked up to his older brother, had decided that it was time to stop acting so childish. Dean hated it as much as his Dad; Sammy was growing up, but did it have to be so fast? He was his little brother after all, Sammy was his responsibility!_

_Feeling his stomach give a funny gurgle, Dean put his fork down and figured he should probably stop eating. As he saw his father and brother exiting the facilities, Dean sighed and quickly rubbed his stomach under his jacket. Maybe he just ate too fast, or just ate too much but deciding to follow in his father's footsteps and use the washroom before departing, Dean stood up as they made their way back to the table._

"_Is Sammy alright?"_

"_He should be. You all done here?"_

"_Yeah, just gonna hit the head before we go." John nodded as he and Sam sat back down, taking a small sip of the tea. Deeming it too hot, he put a few ice cubes in it and gave it a stir._

"_Take a few sips Sammy; it'll help your belly." John placed his hands around Sam's smaller one as he clutched the cup and took a sip. He grimaced._

"_That tastes gross Dad," he whined, pushing the cup away. John pushed it back towards him._

"_I know; that's how medicine tastes."

* * *

_

_Dean and Sam were seated on the couch, watching an old black and white version of King Kong while John sat on the recliner. Sam, whose eyelids were fluttering, yawned and curled deeper into his older brother._

"_Sammy seems to be feelin' better," Dean said to his father nonchalantly._

"_Yeah, nothing really happened back at the diner so I'm just hoping it'll pass and that'll be the last we hear of it." Dean nodded, eyes wandering around the room. They'd been in this motel room for about three days, planning on executing a hunt. Suddenly, Dean felt his stomach gurgle again, this time painfully cramping. He tried not to double over or hiss in pain, instead quickly running a shaking hand through his hair._

"_Dean, you okay over there?" It seemed John had caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye._

"_Yeah, I'm just beat Dad. I'm gonna take a bath and then hit the hay," Dean said with a fake yawn. John smiled._

"_Alright, just don't fall asleep in there again."Dean, rolling his eyes, untangling himself from Sam and stood to give his father a one-armed hug. "I love you tiger; hope you had a good day."_

"_Couldn't get better, I mean I got blueberry pie!" John laughed and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek._

"_Happy Birthday Dean," he said as Dean shuffled into the bathroom and shut the door. Hearing the water running, John allowed himself to finally relax in the recliner, gently closing his own eyes._

_Less than fifteen minutes later John heard Sammy beginning to wake, squirming on the sofa._

"_Dad?" He moaned, clutching his stomach. John's eyes immediately snapped open._

"_What's wrong Sammy?"_

"_My stomach hurts again." Sam swallowed thickly, even though he was only six he was still trying to be big and brave like his older brother. It was hard! Not complaining about the crusts not being cut off his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, acting upset when his Dad tried to tuck him into bed. He really wanted his Dad to give him a hug and tell him everything would be alright, like always, but Dean wouldn't do that!_

"_Alright, what does it feel like?"_

"_It feels like… like I'm gonna be sick Dad," Sam groaned as John quickly stood up, picking up his youngest and cradling him in his arms. Sam's small smile quickly turned into a grimace his stomach flipped._

"_Hold on kiddo." He walked over to the bathroom door and pounded on it. "Dean! You have to hurry it up in there! If your brother spews-"_

"_I can't!" Dean groaned from behind the locked door._

"_I thought you were taking a bath Dean!"_

"_I'm not!" John sighed as realization set in._

"_Dean, are you-"_

"_No Dad! Just leave me alone!" John bit back a string of swear words._

"_Dad…" Sam moaned again, clutching his stomach._

"_Okay kiddo, okay. We'll just improvise, okay?" Quickly searching the room for something Sam could vomit into, he picked up the empty trash can and placed Sam on the kitchen counter. Within moments Sam was heaving into the trash can, tears of pain streaming down his face as his stomach turned._

"_It's okay Sammy," John whispered as he rubbed Sam's back with one hand, the other leafing through his journal. Hearing the toilet flush and the door unlock, a thoroughly embarrassed Dean walked out, head hung in shame. _

"_Dean?"_

"_I'm not feelin' too good Dad," he muttered as he walked over to his father, wincing at the sounds of his baby brother being violently ill._

"_I know Tiger; it's probably something you and your brother ate. Did this happen at the diner too?" Dean nodded as John glanced at his oldest son, feeling his forehead for signs of a fever. He was warm, but not hot. "Can you drink some of the Gatorade in the 'fridge?"_

_Dean nodded again, one hand on his stomach as he walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of Grape Gatorade and sitting down on the sofa. Sam took a shuddering breath and looked up at his father._

"_Water Dad?" John quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with luke-warm water._

"_Just rinse your mouth out Sammy, okay?" Sam did as he was told._

"_Dad, what are you looking for?" He questioned as he noticed John was still thumbing through pages in his journal._

"_Your Aunty Miranda's number," John admitted quickly, turning a few pages at once until he found what he was looking for. "Bingo. How are you feeling? Gonna ralph anytime soon Sammy?"_

"_No Dad." John picked up some napkins from lunch's take-out and wiped his mouth._

"_Can you sit next to your brother while I call Miranda?" Sam nodded as John picked him up and sat him down next to Dean. He picked up the phone and dialed. It rang._

"_Hello?"_

"_Miranda? Thank God you picked up."_

"_John? What's wrong? It's close to midnight!"_

"_Miranda, the kids are sick," John said as Mandy gasped._

"_Sick? With what?"_

"_I think it's probably food poisoning- Sammy just started throwing up and Dean's been locked in the bathroom for a while now. Dean feels like he may have the start of a fever."_

_Hearing the tell-tale signs of an object crashing to the floor, John looked up to see the purple Gatorade spilling from the bottle as it cascaded to the ground. Dean had launched off the sofa, slamming the bathroom door behind him. Sam had begun to moan as a violet stain blossomed on the area rug below them, clawing at his stomach in pain._

"_Miranda? I gotta go, Dean's spilled Gatorade everywhere and Sammy's crying. Were in Madison at the Mayflower Inn; hurry. Please Miranda." John hung up the phone as he raced to Sam's side.

* * *

_

_Mandy took a deep breath before knocking on door #5, quickly hearing a chair scraping against tile and footsteps. Within a minute, with many locks being clumsily undone, John opened the door, clearly relieved to see her._

"_Miranda, thank God you're here," he said breathlessly as he let her in. Placing her bag on the kitchen table, she turned to him._

"_Alright, who do you want me to take? Who's the sickest?"_

"_Honestly?"_

"_Obviously," she said sarcastically, gently taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Who can't you handle? Who's worse?"_

"_Sam." John sighed as he squeezed her hand back. "Dean finally cracked about having an upset stomach since dinner and for now seems to be fine. He's been asleep for about a half-hour and thankfully hasn't thrown up yet."_

"_But Sam?" She asked hesitantly, half not wanting to know the answer._

"_Sam complained of a stomachache at the diner and I think he's throwing up, but he locked himself in the bathroom after I called you. He hasn't let me check him for a fever, and he's keeping his distance from me."_

"_Keeping his distance from you? Sammy's attached to your hip!"_

"_He was, up until about last week. Dean started to talk to him about all the responsibilities of hitting double digits and I guess Sammy took that as a sign to…"_

"_To grow up?" Mandy said gently._

"_Yeah. He's stopped calling me Daddy, won't let me tuck him in or hug him… at least this illness is an excuse to hug him again."_

"_Alright," Mandy said as she pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, giving John a comforting grin. "I'll crack his vow of silence and see what's up. Since it sounds like you got Dean under control, why don't you just check to make sure you have all the necessary equipment for handling both a sick, nauseous Sammy." _

_John nodded, hearing Dean softly moaning and clawing at his cramping stomach, and rushed off to his room to calm the clearly distressed boy. Mandy paused before knocking on the bathroom door, checking that she had no jewelry on or anything she didn't want getting dirty; the Winchester boys were known as projectile vomiters, especially young Sammy. She gently tapped on the bathroom door._

"_Sammy, it's Aunty Miranda. Let me know when you're done so I can take a look 'atcha." Lingering by the door, she heard Sam make a guttural noise in the back of his throat before starting to vomit. Mandy, swallowing thickly in preparation for the sight that would be in front of her, tried turning the door knob to find this to be the only time Sam had left the door unlocked. Bent double, clutching the toilet with white knuckles, she found him forcefully vomiting up a large amount of bile._

"_Oh baby," she muttered as she knelt down next to him and began to rub his back. He took a shuddering breath between bouts._

"_Aunty Manda?" He asked, voice hoarse and legs shaking._

"_Yes sugar?"_

"_I hate being sick," he said and promptly vomited once more into the toilet._

"_Well at least you ended Dean's birthday with a bang, eh?" Mandy joked as Sam groaned._

"_Yeah, Happy Birthday Dean."_

"_I was going to bring him a pie…" Sam groaned again, clutching his stomach with one hand._

"_Oh, I hate you," he muttered before vomiting again. As his stomach emptied the last time, he spat into the toilet and leaned against his aunt._

"_Sorry sugar, you okay?" Brushing a cool hand across the nape of his neck, Sam nodded. Mandy quickly handed him a cup of luke-warm water, which Sam reluctantly took and rinsed out his mouth._

"_Been better, I don't think there's anything left in my stomach." Feeling his stomach cramp as he put the cup down, Sam quickly reached for her hand and squeezed it. After a moment it passed, and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in._

"_I'll ask you again, you okay?"_

"_Why aren't you with Dean?" Sam suddenly asked defensively, pulling his hand away from hers. "It is his birthday, and can handle throwing up Aunty Mandy." Sam tried to stand, seeing his world begin to spin and his knees buckle. Mandy held out her hand, which Sam forcefully pushed away._

"_Dean? He stopped throwing up a while ago- you're my main concern sugar." Sam gripped the sink as if his life depended on it._

"_I can handle this, I'm six now." Sam looked down at his feet, taking a deep breath as his stomach cramped yet again. He could never get over how his stomach felt like it belonged to someone else, probably someone who decided eating whole, live crabs was a good idea. He bit his tongue, trying not to draw blood as his stomach seized once again, preparing for another round of dry heaving. _

"_Sammy, drop the game face."_

"_Game face?" He looked up at her as she stood next to him, a hand now cupping his chin. Sam tried not to lean into her touch._

"_Yeah, that whole patented Winchester I'm fine, everything's cool, I can handle this. It's bull. Everyone needs help now and again sugar, and you're practically vomiting up a liver. Now I don't care how old you are Samuel Winchester, I'll probably still baby you like this when you're twenty-four." Sam took another set of deep breaths as he tried to calm both himself and his stomach down. He thanked his lucky stars that he was only nauseous now, and didn't feel the need to kick his aunt out of the bathroom for privacy for an upset stomach, though knowing his luck that thought would come back to haunt him. "Now come here and tell me exactly what's wrong so I can help."_

_Sitting back down on the cold tile floor, within a moment Sam's petite body was curled around hers, head buried in her curly brown hair and shoulder as he shuddered, trying not to cry._

"_Oh baby, shh…" Mandy soothed, rubbing his back. "Don't cry Sammy."_

"_This is gotta be Dean's worst birthday ever! He's sick, I'm sick!" He wailed into her shoulder, clawing at her back as the cramps came back worse than ever, causing him to see stars. _

"_But I'm here now and I'm gonna make it all better, alright?" Sam tried to nod, but only succeeded in a body-shaking shudder, causing more tears to leak from his eyes. Sensing his distress, Mandy gently moved him so he was sitting on her lap and began to tenderly rub his stomach in small, slow circles. As the taunt muscles soon gave up their death grip on Sam's stomach, he finally took a deep breath and began to talk to his aunt about how he was feeling. Dean trusted their aunt, and always let her baby them, so clearly he could too._

"_Everything hurts Aunty Manda; my stomach, my head…" He lifted his head to look her square in the eye. "I've…I've…"_

"_I could only guess sugar, but if you don't want to say it then I get the drift anyway." Sam breathed a sigh of relief._

"_Thanks Aunty Manda." _

"_Don't mention it babes. Now tell me what else hurts."_

"_My stomach keeps cramping, and rolling and turning. I've never had a stomachache this bad Aunty Manda," he whispered as he laid his head back down, fingering her curls, still catching his breath._

"_Alright baby. Are you ready to leave this tiled prison? Because I think you should get some rest, or at least lay down in bed." Sam shuddered at the thought of leaving the room. "You can have a hot water bottle on your belly and sleep with one of my blankets."_

"_You brought your blankets?"_

"_Of course I did! When your Daddy told me you were sick they were the first things I grabbed."_

"_Can I have the red one? Because blue is Dean's favorite color and it's his birthday so he'll prolly pick that one?"_

"_I suppose," she said grunting as she stood, adjusting Sam's stout frame so she could walk.

* * *

_

_Less than three hours later Mandy, wiping bile and tea off her shirt, sat down next to John and sighed._

"_How's Dean doin'?"_

"_Better, he crashed in my bed again. I just hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the ass," he said with a small smile. "I take it Sammy's still not holding down liquids?"_

"_And what gave ya that impression?"_

"_Just the stomach acid you're wiping off your shirt."_

"_It could be worse, this only happened because I happened to check on Sammy in the bathroom. It was a sight to see, the poor boy, vomiting into the trash can while on the pot."_

"_Damn, he's that bad? Comin' out of both ends?" John immediately felt sorry for his youngest._

"_Yep, haven't seen someone this ill in forever. What the hell did they eat that caused Sammy to get this sick?" _

"_Chicken fingers. I can only presume they weren't cooked or some bull like that, you know small-town diners." John paused, thinking. "We ate there yesterday, but Sammy was being picky and didn't want anything."_

"_Well that explains a lot then," Mandy said as she finally gave up getting the stain off her shirt. "Dean prolly has a milder form of whatever-the-hell this is, so tonight's batch isn't upsetting his system as much."_

"_Dad?" Both Mandy and John looked up to see a very green Dean standing in the archway to the bedroom, clutching his stomach as he swayed. "My stomach hurts."_

_Both Mandy and John looked at each other before wordlessly playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Mandy quickly beat John when her rock covered his scissors._

"_Poor John, always with the scissors," Mandy chuckled as she patted him on the back. "I'll take the one who isn't spewing at the moment, thank ya kindly."_

"_Figures," John muttered as they both snapped their necks to see Dean, bent double and gagging._

"_Shit- over the newspapers Dino!" Mandy cried._

"_Atta boy tiger," John was at his side, rubbing his back. "Just get it all out."A slight shuffling of feet was heard, and both looked up to catch the bathroom door slowly opened as Sam practically crawled out and glance at his aunt. Mandy swiftly moved forward, scooping him in her arms and setting him on the couch, tucking a red polar fleece blanket around his shoulders._

"_It's alright babes, Aunty Mandy's here," she soothed, running her fingers through his hair…_

Sam bounded down the stairs, jarring Mandy from her thoughts and stood next to her. He gave her a tight hug from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. She laughed.

"Feeling better Sammy?"

"One hundred percent completely back to normal," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, this time without blushing.

"Well that's-" Mandy cut off her sentence as she yawned. Sam let her go and poured himself a cup of coffee, causing her to roll her eyes. "That's great Sam, but do you really think I'm going to let ya drink _coffee_?" She took the mug from his hand and poured it down the sink.

"What? Why?"

"Caffeine is a stimulant tiger, and we're not chancing anything. If ya keep things nice and regular it's because of the fiber and your body's natural rhythm, not coffee." Mandy gently patted Sam's stomach.

"That's not fair! I _always_ drink coffee!" Sam pouted, crossing his arms.

"Sometimes life isn't fair babe," Mandy said, yawning again.

"You look really tired, when did you go to bed last night?" Mandy laughed.

"What are you, my keeper?" Smiling, she reluctantly answered as she batted Sam's wandering hand as it made its way back to the coffee pot. "And no means no Sammy. It was a late night with Bobby and Ellen- didn't get back until after four."

"But it's only a little after seven!" Sam said as he glanced at the kitchen clock.

"Yeah, well we had a lot of work to do last night. Helpin' them work on a case and all," she muttered, not making eye contact with Sam. "And your brother wasn't too much help either, runnin' in and outta the bathroom the entire night because he can't say no to a pretty redhead. After I got home I spent another two hours trying to convince him to drink something to keep hydrated." Sam smirked.

"Oh, well that makes sense." Sam said, ducking into the refrigerator to pull out the jug of milk and pouring himself a glass. "What are you working on hunting?"

"What these boys need is to find themselves a girl to do all this nursing and babysittin' so you can go back to having a normal life and stop asking questions." Ellen said as she entered through the back door. Mandy breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't have to answer Sam's question. "Mornin' Sam, how ya feeling today?"

"A lot better Ellen," Sam said as he took a sip of his milk. He looked over at Mandy.

"Yes Sam, I'll make you something for breakfast if ya give me a minute," she said, reading his mind. Sam smiled as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thanks Mandy."

"No problem, but Ellen? Seriously? A normal life?"

"Yes, or as close to one as you can get Mandy."

"Oh yes, because moving around every few years because the aquariums are getting suspicious of you and the townspeople wonder what your beauty secret is because you never age is _normal_." Ellen rolled her eyes as Mandy set to making pancakes for Sam, eyeing him as they continued on with their conversation.

"The aquariums do not get suspicious, _you_ just get paranoid that they are getting suspicious and book it before anyone can convince you otherwise. And besides," she walked over to the counter and helped herself to some coffee, continuing on as Sam seemed to pay no attention to the odd aquarium reference. "You get bored of the same old same old. You couldn't stay in one place if you wanted."

"Now that's not true," Mandy muttered as she began to stir the thick batter.

"What's the longest you've stayed in a place, and you can't say your first twenty-plus years at sea." Mandy scoffed as Sam looked at both of them now.

"I've spent almost- well, long enough in Maine."

"Besides that." Mandy looked up from greasing her frying pan, thinking.

"There was…" Mandy paused, ready to answer when a voice called her name.

"Mandy?" Bobby called from outside the house. "Can I talk to you alone? Outside?"

"So much for pancakes," Sam muttered, looking at Ellen.

"Alright, I'll be right there," Mandy called back as she swallowed her cup of coffee in one gulp and looked at Sam.

"You know, I can take care of this Mandy- you look like the walking dead." Ellen said quietly.

"No no, Bobby asked for me."

"Because he probably thought he'd get Dean otherwise," Sam said under his breath. "All he'd do is bitch about his stomach." Mandy shot him a glare.

"But can you finish up these pancakes for Sammy? That would help me out," Mandy said as she tightened her robe around her slender body and slipped into normal shoes.

"Of course, although I think Sam is completely capable of making his own pancakes," she said jokingly as she poured the batter into the hot pan. "Are these your favorite Sam? Whole wheat?" Sam grimaced at her.

"Mandy?" Bobby's voice echoed again.

"Comin' Bobby!" She called again, heading out the front door to see Bobby working on the Impala's engine. "What is it?"

Bobby looked up from under the hood, wiping his hands on his jeans and taking something out of his back pocket.

"Found somethin' you might be interested in listening to." He quickly took a second glance at her. "Are you okay, you look-"

"I know, usually I get a decent amount of sleep after our trips. After you dropped me off Dean was still up and I ended up taking care of him for a while." She yawned again. "Once I get some shut eye I'll look good as new."

"Speaking of lookin' at…"

"Is this… the interview?" Mandy said, eyes close to tearing up.

"Yep. I have a suspicious feelin' that Dean is up to something, and that's never good. I'd keep things like this locked up so wandering eyes can't find them."

"Where did ya get this?"

"It was in the glove box, along with John's old cell phones, all of which have your old numbers in them."

"So?"

"If he kept information like that in his cell phone, what do ya think he wrote in his journal?" Dread washed over Mandy.

"I know he wrote at least one entry about me, when we first met. It was a case, and he'd never dealt with a…" She gulped.

"I'd get to that journal before Dean does."

"Don't, don't do anything with the tape Bobby," Mandy pleaded suddenly, wrapping her hands around his. "Just put it back and don't say a word to the boys, please."

"I wasn't gonna-"

"Don't try to destroy the evidence or whatever y'all do after a hunt; this 'aint no hunt Bobby." She took a deep breath. "Just let it be. Please."

"They're gonna find out Mandy," Bobby said solemnly. "And when they do, I'm not sure it's gonna be pretty. John, he understood. He cared about ya, and I 'aint sayin' the boys don't either. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You say that like this is a normal salt and burn!" She shouted, her eyes growing dark. "They are _family_-"

"And family don't hide secrets! What do ya think they're gonna do? Accept this with open arms? These are the Winchesters for cryin' out loud. I'm surprised John didn't shoot ya the second he saw ya again."

"He almost did, didn't believe his own eyes." Mandy took a deep breath and looked away, crossing her arms. "You know I tracked them all the way to Kansas, a year later and I could still follow their scent like they were right in front of me."

"You got from Maine to Kansas?" Bobby asked incredulously. "On foot?"

"People will jump at the opportunity to help a pretty brunette get from one place to the other," Mandy said with a small smile. "They were visiting Missouri, the psychic when I finally caught up with him."

"I remember that. She called Ellen ask if she could help you out, and then Ellen called me when the story unfolded." Bobby chuckled. "I can still hear her on the other end of the line, nervous and scared like hell- and that woman 'aint afraid of anything."

"I know, and I don't put it past her. A psychic calls you telling you to help out a friend of John Winchesters, a man you haven't talked to in years? It was a little odd, and that's puttin' it lightly." Mandy glanced into the kitchen window to see Ellen placing a stack of pancakes on the kitchen table as Sam grabbed an armful of goods from the refrigerator. "It looks like breakfast is ready."

"Don't just walk away from this Mandy!" Bobby said quickly, grabbing her arm. "This isn't just going to go away because you want it to."

"I'm just gonna head upstairs and try to get some sleep, that's all. Just, just don't say anything." Bobby could only nod.


	11. Chapter 11

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. Almost all is revealed; did you predict this too? Review and let me know!

* * *

Chapter 11

"How old are you Mandy?" Sam called from the dining room table, not looking up from his computer as he researched a case. Dean had been mysteriously absent from lunch this afternoon, claiming he was doing research on his own for the case. Sam presumed he meant something else entirely, so he didn't question it, he was just thankful both of them were finally feeling better and could move onto finding an actual hunt.

"Ya know it's not polite to ask a woman's age," she answered dismissively as she started cooking dinner.

"Mandy, exactly how old are you?" He questioned again.

"Old enough-"

"_To know everything I need to know. Old enough to have seen everything I need to see, and old enough to know when you need to stop playin' twenty questions and go back to sleep Sam Winchester!"_ Sam finished for her, walking into the kitchen and standing next to her at the oven, smirking. "You always say the same thing every time I ask."

"Well, that's because you always ask when you're sick as a dog and won't let me give you any medicine for it- you're just looking for a distraction." She paused as she stirred the pan on the stove, one hand on her hip. "Or when ya are just on the brink of coming down with somethin' particularly nasty and are still tryin' to distract me."

"Well how come you never answer?"

"Because then you'll ask more questions and I'll have to answer them, and you'll want to know my entire life story-"

"Which we don't know by the way," Sam muttered under his breath, causing Mandy to glare at him. "What? All we know is you lived in Maine for a while and now you move around a lot."

"And?"

"How come you move around so much? You never live in the same place for more than a few years, not counting _The Roadhouse_ or Bobby's. How come you know so much about all this supernatural crap we hunt, because I know you're not a hunter."

"How come you haven't aged since we first met you Mandy?" Dean asked, entering the room and throwing a beat up photo down on the table, beer in hand. "Dad had it in his wallet," he said as Mandy picked up the wrinkled picture, gingerly turning it over to read the handwritten inscription on the back.

_Sammy, Dean, John and Miranda._

_1989._

"Dean, is your stomach still botherin' ya? Ya didn't come downstairs for lunch and claimed you weren't hungry when breakfast was ready." Mandy asked, trying to change the topic. Dean crossed his arms, face stern and upset.

"_Well_?"

"It's hard to explain," she muttered as she ran her fingers over the yellowing photograph, over John's face and then her own.

"To explain what? Why you haven't aged in almost twenty years? Come on Mandy, how dumb do you think we are? What are you?" Dean demanded as Sam tried to calm him down.

"Dean-"

"Sammy, don't tell me this doesn't seem fishy to you!"

"Okay, I'll admit it's odd but-"

"But nothing! We need to-"

"You need to shut your mouth and listen good because I am only gonna tell you this once." Sam and Dean looked at her, both of Dean's arms folded around his chest.

"Mandy?"

"It's actually Melvina," she said with a heavy sigh as she sat down, motioning for the boys to follow, which both reluctantly did. "When the townsfolk decided they wanted the community to have more _Christianized_ names they changed it to Maranda or Miranda, depending on who wrote it. It became Manda or Mandy when Sammy couldn't pronounce Miranda," Mandy said with a light laugh.

"Melvina? That's one heck of a name," Sam joked. Mandy continued.

"In 1987, when you two were busy collecting sea shells and playing Skee Ball in Maine, your Daddy came across a very odd case, or rather ya could say the case found him. He caught wind of a few deaths of the local fishermen who were killed by seals."

"_Seals?_" Sam asked incredulously.

"Yup. Your Daddy did some research and found out that in the past one hundred years over seventeen males had been killed, but he couldn't figure out why. The second to last day of your trip, bored and walking up and down the docks, ya came across one of the fisherman's wife's staring longingly at the sea. Sam sat down next to her and without any hesitation you squeezed her hand. _Everything will be okay, _ya said. And she smiled for the first time in ages and believed ya." Sam stayed quiet as he tried to remember doing this.

"What does that have to do with-" Dean interrogated.

"I'm gettin' to it! Calm down! Gosh!" She paused as she took a sip from Dean's beer, smiling at him, clearly registering that the open beer was spiked with holy water. Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Thanks sugar; and that holy water just waters it out. Well, as it turned out, when ya told your Daddy who you ran into he just so happened to be up to his neck in newspaper clippings. Dean quickly recognized the same young lady in a picture from the local paper. It was dated 1903."

"1903?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Turns out she's been here for almost one hundred years, tied to the land."

"_She?_ What was she?"

"A selkie. She came to the land one day to sit in the sun and one of those god damn fishermen stole her hide," Mandy spat the last part of the sentence out, getting angrier as she spoke. "She had to obey him until he gave it back, which he never did. She was passed into three towns, three men, three families until your Daddy put a stop to it. See, he found the hide and stopped all the killings; the seals were just trying to get their daughter back."

"Mandy…"

"She swore she'd repay your Daddy for saving her, and then she stepped foot in the ocean for the first time in almost a hundred years."

"_And?"_ Sam questioned as she paused her story. It seemed like Mandy was blinking back tears as she finished.

"But bad blood runs deep with the selkies, and she was disowned from her clan for keeping up contact with the humans." Her breath hitched as she said the next part. "Within a year she was back to being confined to land."

"Mandy, are _you_…"

"Oh Sammy, I wanted to believe ya so bad when you said everything would be okay." Now openly crying, she used the corner of her apron to wipe the tears from her face. "It was like the God's were taunting me."

"Funny you should mention those newspapers Dad found, because I found them too." Dean pulled a stack of folded computer paper from his back pocket and threw it onto the table, quickly knitting his brows together before returning to glair at her. Mandy didn't have to look at them to know what they were.

"You don't understand-"

"That doesn't matter Miranda! How could you not tell us, tell _me_?"

"Dean, listen to what she's saying; it doesn't change anything-" Sam said, trying to calm his brother down.

"It doesn't change anything? It changes _everything_ Sam! She's a…"

"If you say monster you're givin' me permission to smack ya."

"Shut up Miranda!" Dean rounded on her, standing up and pushing her against the wall. Sam tried to pull his brothers arm off his aunts shoulder, but Dean pushed him away, swaying a little as he gained his footing.

"Dean!"

"You can't pretend everything is just going to go back to normal- we just found out you're a _seal_ Miranda!" Mandy opened her mouth to say something, but Dean continued to speak. "If you lied about this, what else is a lie?"

"I never lied; I just didn't tell ya the _entire_ truth."

"What else have you hid from us? What other secrets do you have?"

"Dean, stop!" Sam stood helpless on the sidelines as his brother verbally assaulted their aunt.

"No Sam, you stop. Look at her," he said, sneering. "She's just a pathetic _thing_ that couldn't stay out of trouble-"

"Ya have no _idea_ what I've been through!" Mandy said as Dean grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer to him. Sam's fists clenched in anger.

"No idea? I have no idea huh? Well I don't care what your excuse is; the fact of the matter is that you're not even _human_. No matter what you say or do, you can't change that."

"I'm not trying to!" She said; gasping as Dean saw her hand sneaking to her back pocket. He quickly grabbed her wrist, causing her to wince in pain and drop the pocket knife she held in her hand. It clattered to the floor, falling near Sam.

"Stop it!"

"Dean!" Sam yelled, brandishing the pocket knife and holding it near his brother's neck.

"You're hurtin' me Dean!"

"Good," he said, but didn't get to finish as Mandy's left fist collided with his jaw. Dropping her other hand as Sam threw the knife to the ground, Mandy took that moment to move away from both Dean and the wall, but not before he could grab her shoulder. Twisting her around, Dean was confronted with Mandy's forehead as she head-butted him. Sam smiled as Dean saw stars.

"Knock it off Sam!" Dean was ready to round on Sam, but not before Sam could punch his brother in the face, giving Mandy a moment to run out the back door. "SAM!"

"What the hell Dean? You just tried to beat up our aunt, who instead beat the shit out of you!"

"She's not even human Sam!" Sam pushed his brother, causing him to grunt and stumble. Both looked at the kitchen window as they heard a car engine start and peel down the street. "You held a knife to me!"

"You're an idiot!" Sam said, ignoring his brother's last comment. "How can you say that? After all she's done for you, for _us_?"

"If we didn't know her, we might have hunted her down." Dean admitted reluctantly. "She's a supernatural creature Sam, that's what we do."

"But she hasn't hurt anyone!"

"_Yet!_ How do we know she didn't get those seals to attack those guys all those years back? Huh? Revenge is a dish best served cold."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Sam said, shaking his head. "You're suggesting our aunt, the aunt who feels bad when she has to kill a bug, sent a bunch of seals to do her dirty work?"

"Something like that, yeah. Think about it Sam," Dean said as he sat down at the table, rubbing his sore jaw and then abdomen. Sam sat across from him, allowing Dean to continue. "They were holding her captive on land for like, eighty years at that time."

"And?"

"And she may have just wanted to go home, but from the first moment she was here guys started dropping dead. From _seal deaths_ Sam, coincidence?"

"Mandy said they were defending her-"

"By trying to get her back? Or because she told them to defend her?" Dean's cell phone rang, interrupting his speech. "Shit, its Bobby." Flipping open his phone, he didn't even get a chance to speak before Bobby pounced on him.

"What the hell is your problem Dean Winchester! Attacking your aunt_-"_

"She's a fuckin' seal Bobby! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why does it matter? So what if she's a selkie, she's still your aunt!"

"She was never my aunt, just like you were never my uncle!"

"Family don't end with blood boy," Bobby spat into the phone, hanging up.

"Wow, someone's mad," Sam said sarcastically as Dean threw his phone to the table, watching it slide across and stop near the center with the salt and pepper.

"Not helping Sam!"

"Hey, you started this!" Sam pushed his chair away from the table, standing up. "You got us into this mess, so you'll get us out."

"She-"

"But you're the idiot who pushed her into a wall and called her inhuman." Sam turned away from his brother, still seeing red as he thought of what he'd done to his aunt. "Oh, and I'd probably read Dad's journal again, _especially_ the part where we're in Maine solving a case."

"Sam?"

"I can't even be in the same room as you right now," he muttered as he walked upstairs and slammed his bedroom door. Dean let out a frustrating groan as he stomped to his duffle bag, pulling out John's journal.

"Let's see what all the commotion is about huh?" Dean muttered, sitting down on the couch and flipping open to the summer of 1987.

_Found a case today, or rather a case found us._

_Poor thing, Melvina._

_Thought she was a lady in white, La Lorona from the way she looked in that white dress of hers._

_Then the boys helped out- especially Sammy. Don't know how he does it, but he knows things that boy. It's scary how he finds stuff out on his own and just says it like it's common knowledge. He said 'Manda looks like she misses somethin' real bad,' and then mentioned that she smelled like the ocean._

_And I think Dean's onto something of his own too; he's recognized Melvina's face in some old newspapers- from 1903. It's just too bad what has happened to her, in her life. So much sadness and pain inside someone who has so many reasons to be happy. It makes me think what'll happen to Sammy when he grows up, if he'll want to pursue this whole 'normal, apple pie' thing and just run away from us- his family. Of course Melvina's story is different than ours, but there's so much death in her past eighty years -seventeen deaths to be exact, and not to mention the death of three husbands. One forced her to move to Georgia because she was staring at the ocean too much, and the other made sure she'd never procreate… if you catch my drift._

_When the boys are older, and can understand this kind of thing, I'll explain this entire story if need be. Maybe it won't need to be explained, but Melvina has this presence that says she'll be around- and not just in that eternal life kind-of way._


	12. Chapter 12

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage. More questions are answered, including the detailed history of Melvina Anderson. The idea for a selkie did come from The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls, and correlated with an entry from John's Journal in which they were in Portland, Maine.

* * *

Chapter 12

Dean turned on the old am radio in the kitchen, trying to take his mind off the idea of his Aunt being a… well, seal. Sam looked up from his laptop to cast Dean a look of concern and reluctant acceptance before diving back into his research.

'_Sugar, ah honey honey. You are my candy girl, and you've got me wanting you. Honey, ah sugar sugar. You are my candy girl, and you got me wanting you.'_

Dean suddenly was overcome by the memory of Miranda dancing around her kitchen to this song.

"_Come on Dean, dance with us!" Mandy had picked up Sam and was twirling him around, both laughing and smiling._

"_I don't think so."_

"_Don't be a grumpy gus," she said jokingly. "Come on Sammy, I know ya know the lyrics!" Dean rolled his eyes, sitting at the table as his Aunt and brother joined in, singing._

'_I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you, (I just can't believe it's true.) I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to, (I just can't believe it's true.)'_

"_You'll never catch me singing this song," he muttered, trying not to laugh._

'_When I kissed you girl I knew how sweet a kiss could be, (I know how sweet a kiss could be.) Like the summer sunshine pour you sweetness over me, (pour your sweetness over me.)'_

"_But Dean, 'I'm gonna make your life so sweet!'" Mandy sang to him, finally causing him to crack a smile. "Come on Dean! Dance with us!"_

"_Yeah De, dance with us!" Sammy called over Mandy's shoulder, laughing as she twirled him around again._

"_No, I can't."_

"How could we not put this together Sammy?" Dean said angrily, banging his fist against the table, causing the salt and pepper shakers to clink together.

"It's not that we didn't put this together, it's that-"

"Ya'll really didn't see this comin' did you?" Dean and Sam looked over to the back door to see Bobby and Ellen entering- Dean hadn't noticed the engine due to reminiscing. "Didn't you ever wonder how when you were ill your hot water bottles never got cold? Or how she never ran out of hot water, even after all those hours of sittin' in the steam tryin' to help all your sinus infections?"

"It was a very bad cold!" Dean said indignantly. "The kind people used to die from!"

"How much control does she actually have?" Sam questioned as Dean rolled his eyes. "Most lore on selkies talks about connections to music and longing for the sea, not any abilities involving water. I haven't found any information on that at all."

"Don't encourage them," he muttered under his breath, taking a long, slow gulp of ice water.

"Enough," Ellen said before she smacked the back of Dean's head. It took all of Dean's control not to spit out the cold beverage. "You're being ridiculously rude today Dean, all irritable and out of sorts. Is everything-"

"Shut up! This isn't, it's not that!" All three smiled at the same time as Dean rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his head, thinking.

_Sam and Dean sat in the back seat, rummaging through the battered box of cassette tapes their father owned._

"_Dad, why do we have a copy of The Archie's Candy Girl? We never listen to this-"_

"_Don't touch that!" John scolded, yanking the tape out of Dean's hand and throwing it into the glove compartment._

"_But-"_

"_Just don't mess with that Dean," he muttered, looking at his sons as they both glanced at each other, shoulder's slumped and clearly hurt. "Dean?"_

"_Yeah Dad?"_

"_Just… You'll learn more when you're older, but for now just don't, just forget it's there."_

"_Yes sir."_

Dean looked up at Sam.

"What?"

"Did you ever clean out the glove compartment after the Impala got totaled?"

"No, why?"

"I just… remember that cassette tape Dad threw in there so we wouldn't break it? What was it?" Dean paused, pretending he couldn't think of the name so he could have the opportunity to run his hand through his hair.

"Um…_The Archies Candy Girl_?" Sam offered questioningly. Dean smiled as Ellen and Bobby looked at each other.

"What on earth are you gettin' at?" Ellen finally asked, sitting down at the table.

"Don't you think it was odd that Dad was that, well, _protective_ of a tape?" Dean said after a moment.

"Maybe…"

"And I don't think it's just a coincidence that it happens to be Mandy's favorite song," Sam muttered, finally catching up. All four looked at each other and within a moment Sam and Bobby were scrambling out the front door to get to the Impala. Ellen looked over at Dean, gently taking his hand.

"What's goin' on sugar?" She questioned as Dean took his hand out of hers.

"Besides the whole discovery of my aunt being best friends with _Flipper_?" Dean said sarcastically.

"Warm, but not hot. I'm talkin' about the idea that Sam may have figured this out before you, or that you knew something was off but didn't want to admit it." He looked at her, confused and startled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered as Sam rushed back in, tossing Dean the cassette tape.

"Bingo!" Dean turned his attention to the cassette tape in his hands; the label was peeling off and as he turned it over in his hands he recalled his father's scolding for touching it.

"Guess we're old enough," Dean said mostly to himself as he put the tape in the tape player and smiling slightly as his aunts favorite song played over the radio. After the song was over though, the tape continued to play. Static overlapped with a few small noises: paper being shuffled and a chair scrapping against the floor, and lastly a throat being cleared.

"_I've never done this before." Mandy's voice echoed through the speakers, clearly nervous._

"_Don't be scared, just talk like it's just me in the room." This was John._

"_Like it's just you?"_

"_Exactly. Now state your name and the reason for this interview."_

"_My full name is Melvina Lorraine, but most people either call me Miranda or Mandy- Sammy and Dean call me Manda because they can't pronounce Miranda," she said with a slight laugh. "And I guess the reason for this is because ya wanted to know my back story."_

"_Which is?"_

"_I'm a selkie- I have been on land for almost eighty years, and have been married four times."_

"_A selki is?"_

"_A seal. I took off my skin so I could sunbathe on the beach one day and someone took my hide."_

"_Someone?"_

"_Well, not just someone. William Cooper; he decided it would be fun to have a selkie for a wife. Never told me he had the hide, just said he would try to find it. Made it seem like he was the only one who could help me out." She sighed. "Was married to him for almost twenty years before he realized that it wasn't as much fun to have me as a wife as he originally intended."_

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"_Well, this whole eternal life thing may come with its perks, but I didn't age along with him. He felt self-conscious that the whole town was always talking about us."_

"_Was that the only reason why?"_

"_Lord no! People started to presume things, unnatural things. I was always winin' the county fair contests for pies and junk- they took it as I was a witch, but it's more along the lines of the fact that I came from water, so I have just enough control of water to make my baked goods come out moist." John laughed._

"_Just enough?"_

"_Yeah, I've never tried anything crazy big, like controlling a lake or something, but I have used it before."_

"_On what else?"_

"_Mostly it's for keeping cold things cold and hot things hot. Like drinks and junk."_

"_Alright June Cleaver," he said, referring to the 50's housewife. "Tell me more about William, and Jonathan and Garrett, and…" John shuffled through some papers. "Michael."_

"_Well, William decided before he died that the best thing was for him to sell me to the highest bidder. By that time he didn't have any more extended family, and we'd never had kids. Few months before he hit the bucket I was sold to Jonathan Sackett, a firefighter a few towns over. He was… well, he was somethin'."_

"_Stop me if I'm getting ahead of myself here, but if you're from Maine, why do you have a southern accent?" Dean, who had always wondered that himself, was finally given an answer._

"_Garrett, that son-of-a-bitch decided he was sick and tired of me mopin' around the house feelin' sorry for myself and always hangin' out at the peer. He figured the farthest place from Maine was Georgia, where his family just so happened to live. Worst fifteen years of my life down there in that sweltering heat. But we were talkin' about Johnny." She sighed. "Johnny was the biggest drunk I've ever seen- he drank down whiskey like it was water. So one day, about five years into our marriage, he got drunk and decided he… well, he decided that he didn't want me to procreate more inhuman creatures like me." There were a few moments of silence before John said anything._

"_Oh Miranda, I'm so sorry; I didn't know."_

"_Hey, what's done is done. He was just an idjit, that's all." _

"_That's terrible."_

"_Yep, decided he didn't want me to ever be happy. Said it was for mankind's protection, so no one else would have to deal with my people. Said it was what was best for both of us."_

"_That's bullshit."_

"_Naw, what's bullshit is the constant beatings he gave me because he was pissed off at life. Didn't want me leavin', which I couldn't do anyway. Didn't want me to pass this genetic monstrosity onto his or anyone's children, so he took care of that. And then he decided one day that no one else should have to deal with my crap again, because by this time I was fed up with his drinking and shit and had learned how to use my little abilities." Mandy laughed. "Boy it was fun turnin' his baths freezin' cold! But he tried to kill me, unsuccessfully obviously."_

"_Obviously. But how?"_

"_Just the normal after work beatin's took more time, were more frequent. He was gettin' frustrated that he couldn't leave bruises or marks, I heal crazy fast. He couldn't break any bones or nothing either."_

"_So?"_

"_So he tried to kill me, and when he couldn't he decided that if he couldn't kill me than no one else should have to deal with me or my offspring. Shortly after that he was found dead by the peers."_

"_And after that?"_

"_After that Garrett Paige, Johnny's best friend, decided to move in and take up where his friend left off. Garrett decided to move us to Georgia until he could figure out what to do with me."_

"_And now?"_

"_Well, I was with Mike Anderson. He was actually the only good apple out of the bunch, up until the last few years when he figured out why seals were killin' his family. Decided if he couldn't kill me, he'd kill them. God men are stupid pigs."_

"Where is she?" Sam asked quietly after the tape had ended, leaving an oddly bitter silence where Mandy's voice once was. Dean looked up from leaving rings of condensation on the table to see three utterly sad and depressed faces staring back at him.

"Well," Ellen started, blinking away tears as Bobby put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We don't know if she wants to be found- by _Tweedle Dumb_ over here anyways." Bobby stated simply.

"What?" Outraged, Sam tried to glare at his older brother through glassy eyes, but only managed to cause Ellen to burst into tears.

"Lord knows w-we know w-where she is," Ellen hiccoughed out. "S-she's just n-not ready to come h-home yet."

"_Come home?" _Dean said what was on both brothers minds, causing Bobby to snap at him yet again.

"This is her _only_ home and you drove her out of boy!" Bobby spat suddenly at Dean. "Listen, I can deal with all you're bickering about all the petty shit you _think _is important and still try to at least smile, but don't you dare spit on a cupcake and tell me its frosting!"

Dean tried not to laugh.

"This 'aint funny Dean! You're so thick that when you find out something unnatural is going on right in your own backyard you just drive it away without thinkin' twice!"

"That's not true-" Dean started before Bobby cut him off.

"You're just as stupid as you are stubborn! God damnit Dean, this woman has been a mother to you and Sam and you pushed her away!"

"Don't you know how badly she wanted to tell you sugar?" Ellen said quietly, her voice strained so it didn't crack.

"If she wanted to tell us she would have," Dean stated simply.

"Don't you understand how much she hated walking around on eggshells around you boys- about why she could never go swimming with you when you went to the beach?"

"We only went once!"

"Selkies can't touch salt water while in seal form," Sam muttered to the table. "She'd be void of all human contact for seven years, and then it's just a vicious cycle."

"Does this mean mermaids are real too?" Dean asked sarcastically, earning another glare.

"Are there… male selkies?" Sam asked suddenly. "And Dad's journal states that a source tells him mermaids are very territorial creatures; more vicious and hauntingly beautiful than anything."

"Mandy's brother comes by every seven years to visit for a week or so," Ellen spoke up, clearing her voice. "She calls him with seven tears during the high tide, and don't you dare ask me what the hell is up with all the sevens because I don't know. And one of her friends, oh what's-her-name?"

"Pamela." Bobby answered.

"Yes, Pam comes up with him. I think they're married or something."

"So let me get this straight- Mandy can touch water, just not salt water when she has her skin otherwise she's permanently changed herself into a seal for seven years?" Dean said, finally asking a real question.

"Something along those lines, yes."

"But she _can_ touch salt water without her skin and be fine?"

"It's like going to a steak house and getting a tofu burger; you're tempted to get something better, something juicy and meaty and _real_. It's not the same and you can't trick yourself into thinking it is." Both boys nodded at Bobby's correlation.

"But she'd be fine?"

"It's playing with fire Dean," Ellen whispered.

"Where is she now?"

"The aquarium, she found out that since the salt water there is treated with chlorine and chemicals it somehow balances itself out and she can swim with her skin but change back. At least, she hasn't had any problems before."

"But there's one thing I don't understand; if we found Mandy in the summer of '87 and two years later were in contact with her again, then what about the seven year rule-"

"You'll have to ask her that yourself Sammy," Bobby said. "We'll go visit her around midnight, and nothin' stupid."


	13. Chapter 13

Getting To The Bottom of This.

Summary: _Tall Tales_ wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The majority of Sam's irritability came from the fact he was sick, and not only of his brother. The boy's stay at Ellen's to recuperate, but she ships them to an old family friend after she gets fed up with their bickering. As both brothers recall old memories of their so-called _'Aunt Mandy' _more questions surface than answers; why does she move so much? Why did she disappear for such long periods of time throughout their childhoods? How _does_ she know Bobby, Ellen and John? And what is with her fascination of water and local aquariums? As Sam gets better, neither brother can help but wonder what her secret is and why she hid it for so long.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything belonging to the "Supernatural" realm. I will put my stamp of approval on all original characters, and hope they meet the fandom's high standards. All characters pictures can be found on my homepage.

* * *

Chapter 13 

Sam and Dean simultaneously stepped out of the Impala, both closing the doors and turning to look at each other.

"Well, here goes nothing," Sam said to his brother, who in turned just wrinkled his brow.

"Dude, this is so messed up! It's like were on a field trip to Sea World to visit Willy!"

"Only it's after hours, we have to break in, and we're not visiting a whale Dean." Sam said pointedly.

"Yeah, somethin' along those lines," he muttered, scowling.

"Ellen and Bobby said they'd meet us inside," Sam muttered as he followed behind Dean, who was quick to notice the side door was still unlocked.

"We'll have to thank them for leavin' the door open then." He said with a smirk and went inside. Cold, dark and salty, the aquarium was oddly lit by only the full moon outside. Passing up numerous tanks of jelly fish slowly swimming across the glass, Dean turned to Sam, who had paused to tap on the tank.

"What?" Sam asked, irritated, turning his attention away from the crowd of jellyfish that had suddenly become intrigued to his presence.

"Do you know which way we're headed?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

"_Yeah, don't you_? Of course I don't know! If I did, do you think I'd be asking you Samantha?" He said pointedly, clearly irritated by this entire situation.

"Good point. Ellen said we'd be going past the jelly fish tank, making a right past the dolphin cage and then the seals would be at the end of the hall."

"Fantastic," Dean muttered as he continued to walk. As they reached a fork in the hall, he made a quick right and briskly continued past the dolphins until Sam caught up.

"Do you have to walk that fast?" He panted, clearly out of breath.

"I'd have figured with those long legs of yours Sasquatch you'd be able to keep up." Seeing a new tank starting, both brothers peered into the crystal clear water for the seals. After a few moments Sam spoke.

"Dean?"

"What is it now?" Taking a few steps to the left, Dean continued to look.

"Doesn't this tank seem a bit empty to you? I mean, I don't see any seals, let alone any marine life in it." Dean sighed.

"Maybe you're scaring them all away because you can't shut your mouth!" Hearing the splash of an animal diving into the water, both boys turned towards the sound. Across the hall, in another tank, three seals raced in the water, clearly enjoying themselves. "You're an idiot; the tank was on the other side of the dolphins!"

"Ellen never said that," Sam said as he scratched his head, walking across the way to the other tank with a shrug.

"Whatever. Do you think she's in there?"

"Probably. Which one do you-"

"The smaller one of the three." Both brothers looked up to see Ellen and Bobby walking out from a side door. "And your brother's right, your shrill voice is echoing all throughout the aquarium, so I'd lower it just a few notches."

"How long has Mandy been here Ellen?" Sam asked, his voice a few decibels quieter.

"A few hours."

"Thanks for leaving the side door open Bobby," Dean said to Bobby, who in turn looked at him questioningly.

"I didn't leave no side door open, ya idjit. Now why would I do that?"

"Well the door was left open by someone; when we got here all we had to do was turn the handle." Ellen turned to Bobby.

"What day is- shit. Look outside Bobby."

"Why," he started, turning to look out through the glass window. "Aw shit."

"It's a full moon, so what? Werewolf's got here first?" Dean joked, earning a glare from both Ellen and Bobby.

"It's the first full moon, which means they probably arrived before we got here. Shit!" Ellen looked extremely upset as Bobby put an arm around her.

"I'm sure they aren't going to cause any more trouble than these two normally do. Don't worry El."

"_They_? Who are they?" Dean demanded. "Can someone fill us in?"

"Dean, look." Sam pointed to the tank, where three seals had climbed onto the rocks, disappearing behind a small cliff. Just as suddenly as they'd appeared, all four hunters ran down the hall to get a better view of behind the rocks.

"Holy shit," Dean muttered as he saw that the seals had disappeared, leaving behind Mandy and a man and woman, all dripping wet and naked, each with a gray pelt of fur on their laps.

"They transformed," Sam whispered in awe as Mandy grabbed the man in a hug, her pelt around her waist. The man lifted her up, swinging her around as she squealed in delight, all three grinning.

"The other two, they were selkies too?" Dean asked to Bobby. "Is this… are they-"

"Pam and Alex? Only two selkies stupid enough to come to land to visit her," Bobby grunted out.

"What Bobby means to say is that, well…"

"Pam and Alex are gonna have to stay for seven days now that they're outta the water! And they do this all the time, just stop by because they can! Just expect everyone to drop what they're doin' to spend time with them!"

"They never inform Mandy beforehand, not like the can though," Ellen spoke. "But they crash at Mandy's place for the week and most of the time Bobby or I have to babysit while she goes to work."

"Sounds like barrels of fun."

"You don't know the half of it. They can't go out because they don't understand how society runs. They can't be left alone because they'll burn the house down tryin' to make toast. And they can't be around animals because they sense their true form and never shut up. Rumsfeld never quit barkin' whenever Mandy'd stop by."

"I repeat," Dean said smirking. "Sounds fun."

"Well you two are gonna be watchin' them this time around! Ellen and I have things to do and can't be bothered with this shit."

"What?" Dean sputtered, outraged. "You want us to watch them?"

"We can't babysit Bobby," Sam finally spoke up. "We're gonna be leaving soon, now that I'm feeling better. We've already got another hunt lined up and everything."

"Well too bad!" Bobby said, outraged. "She's watched over ya since you were five and now you idjits can't return the favor!"

"It's not that, we just-" Mandy emerged from the side door, hair wet with salt water, laughter bouncing down the halls as she tried to pull her guests outside.

"Oh come on, hurry up and get dressed! Alex, I don't know where ya get those clothes from, but 'round here guys don't wear pink polka dotted shirts!" She laughed again, letting go of the two hands she was trying to tug. "I'll wait five minutes for ya, and after that were leaving!"

"You wouldn't leave without us!" A feminine voice echoed from the door, grumbling under her breath. "I'll never understand humans and their need for all these buttons…"

"Mandy-"

"Boys, what are ya doin' here?" Mandy muttered as she quickly finished buttoning her blouse, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Why did you bring them here!"

"We just want to talk Mandy," Sam said calmly.

"I never wanted you to see me like this," her voice trembled as she pulled herself into the shadows, hiding her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry boys."

"Mandy," Dean said suddenly, hands stuffed in his pockets. "I'm the one who's sorry. I don't-"

"You damn well say more than that Dean Winchester!" Ellen scolded, slapping him on the back of the head. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to bark a string of curses at her.

"It was uncalled for, and out of line for me to react the way I did. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said or done any of that."

"You readin' from a note card?" Mandy scoffed, sniffing back tears. "Or'd you read that from some movie poster?"

"Look, your upset. I understand-"

"You understand? _You understand_?" Mandy brought herself back into the light, fists clenched in rage. She turned to face him, eyes cold as steel. "You'll never understand. You've never been ostracized by your own family, by your own father. You've never been completely and utterly alone in this world with no one to turn to. You've never been forced to live with a person you hated more than anything in the entire world, and have to just keep smiling because you couldn't do anything about it!" In the two surrounding tanks, the water had begun to churn; choppy waves washed upon the shores of the aquariums. The dolphins, who had been watching them curiously, had disappeared into the abyss.

"You're right Mandy! I'll never understand any of that!" Dean yelled over the crashing waves hitting against the glass tanks. All four glanced at each other nervously.

"But what we _do_ understand is that even in the darkest hours, when you think you're totally alone, someone is there!" Sam said as an audible crack was heard in the glass near the top. "We'll be there for you Mandy, and we always will be!" Mandy just blinked at him, eyes rimmed in silver, as if he hadn't even spoken.

"You need to calm down Miranda!" Bobby said loudly as some of the overhead lights flickered above them. "You're gonna hurt someone if ya keep this up!"

"Mandy, please!" Ellen begged. "I've never seen you this angry before, and it's scaring all of us. You need to stop!"

"You need to understand," she whispered, lunging for Dean and grabbing him by the throat. With one hand she held him a few inches off the ground, fingernails digging into his skin. "I thought I could trust you. After all these years, after everything we've been through, this is how you repay me? Call me a monster and try to kill me?"

"I wasn't… trying… to kill… you," Dean choked out. "I was… wrong."

Mandy's grip on his neck lessened and his feet touched the ground.

"You're family… we love you." Dean whispered breathlessly, his own fingers clawing at hers. "Please."

"STOP!" Mandy instantly dropped Dean to the ground where Sam was instantly at his side, looking up towards the voice. A tall, muscular man with sandy blond hair and brown eyes was glaring at Mandy, arms crossed in disgust. The water around them instantly calmed down as Mandy sank to the floor, sobbing. "What are you doing to these humans?"

"I don't know," she wailed. Dean, who was still visibly shaken by this turn of events, was glad the man was fully clothed; the pink and purple polka dotted shirt was not buttoned properly and he had on a pair of red athletic shorts with cowboy boots.

"You call them family; speak so highly of them to us, and this is what you do?" The man walked towards her, pausing in front of her. "After one hundred and thirty three years you still act like a pup, flaunting your powers."

"Leave her alone Alex, she felt threatened." A woman gently spoke behind him, long brown hair flowing down her back. She only had on a long black sundress, but as she walked past the dolphin tank the animals re-emerged, happy to follow her down the hall.

"Threatened!" He roared. "You are lucky father was not here to witness that!"

"We are not within your father's realms, dear heart," she said as she gently ran her hand down the side of his face. "Both parties were angry, but it has subsided into only regret. Let your sister be."

"Hold on," Dean said as she held out her hand to Mandy and pulled her up and pulled her into an embrace. "This is really, you two are…"

"She is my younger, and more _naïve_ sister," Alex said, though his tone was less biting and more condescending, his body slowly relaxing. "And this is my wife."

"You can call me Pamela in your language, and my husband Alexander."

"You weren't joking when you said they were siblings," Dean muttered as Mandy pulled away and turned Alex, allowing Sam and Dean to see just how similar the two were. Both had the same pointed chin, soulful brown eyes and now both echoed the same look of disappointed pity Sam had seen cross his aunts face numerous times.

"Alexander, I ask your forgiveness for what you have just seen. I was not thinking-"

"Clearly," he muttered under his breath.

"-And for that I am sorry. But for what it's worth we've had worse fights over less," she said with a smile. Alex remained unphased.

"If I do recall, the first time saw a ship catching fish, you were worried we wouldn't have enough food to last the summer."

"And you allowed me to believe we were being forced to ration our food! When I told father he was furious at you!" The corner of Alex's mouth turned upward in a half-smile. "You were swimming laps for hours."

"Although, as I recall, you were the one who told father you'd watched me swim them all though I had completed only half."

"You would have been swimming laps for ages, and I knew the punishment didn't fit the crime." After a few moments of silence, Alex yet again embraced his sister, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"We will both watch out for each other, as we always have."

"Agreed." Mandy said with a smile as Alex and Pam pulled away from the group to have a brief conversation. Within moments they had returned, both looking much somber than before.

"We unfortunately have decided against staying on land," Pam uttered as she embraced Mandy in soulful hug. Mandy pulled away.

"Not stay? Why?"

"_Why?_" Alex repeated sarcastically, earning a piercing stare from Pam.

"There is too much anger here tonight. You must resolve this with your assembly and take care of your pups."

"Take care?" Mandy whispered, eyes searching for an answer.

"The eldest one, he is still ill. And he has more confusion and pain more than the questioning understanding that his sibling has." Pam gently rested her hand on her shoulder. "The youngest is also ill, though in a different way. You can feel it, you have for a while. He holds much darkness, and sorrow within. You need to tell both of them the truth, for _everything_, and help them move past this."

"I don't know how," Mandy whispered. "Dean won't let me in, and I don't even know where to start explaining this, about us to them…"

"Begin with curing their physical ailments, then move to their emotional wounds. They trusted you; they just don't know _what_ to trust now." Pam turned to the rest of the collective group, smiling warmly at them. "It was an honor to finally meet offspring of John Winchester."

"Though we never got the chance to meet your father, he took care of my little sister when I could not, and treated her like his own. Thank you," Alex spoke softly, sincerity in his voice. Pam walked up to Sam, ignoring that he had held out his hand, and instead gently cupped his chin.

"You are truly your father's son, Samuel, and you wear your name proudly." Sam looked at her, confused. "Samuel is a strong name, and you are a strong man, stronger than many even in your darkest hour." She turned to Dean, who tried to back away from her touch. Instead she leaned towards his ear, whispering.

"You will do great things Dean, if you learn to accept the past. We cannot change the events already in motion; we can only hold our head high and come out stronger than before." Dean looked into her eyes, blinking painfully. "History tends to repeat itself, and if we do not learn from our original mistakes we are cursed until we do."

"Ellen, Robert," Alex extended his hand, only to be pulled into a hug from Ellen. Bobby rolled his eyes as Alex in turn forced him into a back-breaking hug. Dean snickered.

"We will return during another solstice and celebrate," Pam said as she took Alex's hand in hers and with one last smile disappeared into the starry night.

"How're they gonna get back to Maine?" Sam questioned as Mandy lead the way outside, followed by Sam and Dean while Ellen and Bobby lingered behind to make sure no traces of their midnight trip were left. Mandy shrugged.

"I've never asked them." She cleared her throat. "Boys, is everything gonna be okay? With us?" She turned to look at them as they reached the door.

"What defines okay?" Dean asked as Sam and sighed.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I can keep apologizin' and make more excuses for why we didn't tell ya, but the truth is I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Of this, exactly what happened. I don't wanna be just another notch in your belt, another creature ya hunted. I think of ya as family, and I'd never wanna hurt ya."

"Mandy-" Dean started, but Sam cut him off.

"We know. We understand. Dad always said he was just trying to protect us, but sometimes you just need to lay all your cards out be truthful. Dad never did that, with anything for us. He'd tell us just enough so we'd stop pestering him, but it was never enough."

"Dad's idea of protection-"

"Dean! Stop!" Both Sam and Mandy looked close to tears, but it was Mandy who finally spoke.

"I'll understand if ya just wanna pack up and pretend I don't exist. But I really wish, I _pray_, that y'all will let me explain everything and forgive me." Blinking rapidly, she suddenly turned back towards the aquarium. "Ya know where the spare key is, correct? Let yourselves in and make your decision. I'll be back in a few days once everything's cooled off."

"Mandy, please."

"I really hope y'all will still be there when I return." And with that she walked back to the only two people who still understood her, Ellen and Bobby. Mandy tried not to break down while still in sight of the boys.


End file.
